All five teenagers killed in a car travelling the wrong way on a motorway have been named and pictured for the first time. Jeremy O'Brien, 18, Joey Carthy, 15, Alex McCarthy, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski, all 17, died in the early hours of Sunday morning after a high-powered BMW ploughed into a family on their way to the airport. Their families have been notified.
Crash Details
All five were wearing balaclavas and the car they were in had failed to stop for cops before smashing into the innocent family's Hyundai at 3am on the M9 in rural Co Kildare, Ireland. The driver of the Hyundai, 40, and her front seat passenger, 30s, remain in a critical condition at Tallaght Hospital, with a seven-year-old boy and a woman in her 20s, who were in the back seats, in serious condition in hospital. The family was travelling in the correct direction towards Dublin Airport, where they were scheduled to catch a flight for a family wedding in the north west of England.
Investigation and Response
Following the completion of forensic examinations by Garda technical teams, the bodies of the five teenagers were removed from the wreckage late on Sunday night for post-mortem examinations at Naas General Hospital. Cops confirmed they were aware of the vehicle prior to the 3am crash, but said no pursuit was underway at the time of the impact. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly stated that officers will fully cooperate with the police ombudsman Fiosrú, which is conducting an independent investigation. Commissioner Kelly noted the difficulty of such incidents, adding that "gardaí and emergency responders were working every day to keep communities safe". Investigating officers continue to appeal for witnesses.
Social Media Trend and Appeal
Anyone who was driving on the M9 motorway in the early hours of Sunday morning and possesses relevant video or dashcam footage is asked to contact Athy Garda Station on 059 8634210 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. It's believed the boys were taking part in a social media trend where gangs are "trying to outdo each other" by posting wrong-way driving videos online. Horror photos show the mangled wreckage of the two motors in the aftermath of the crash.
John Joe O'Connell, Garda Representative Association (GRA) vice-president, made the comments. Mr O'Connell revealed the BMW had previously failed to stop for gardaí and that he understood an order was given from the command and control centre not to engage or pursue the vehicle as it travelled the wrong way down the motorway. Addressing standard procedure in a live environment, he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland radio programme: "It would be standard practice, and the command and control centre would be dictating what happens in a live environment – but the members in the cars have to make a split-second decision." He noted that members were "all in shock" over the incident, adding: "Our members are not going to follow down that route – we're damned if you do and damned if you don't, that way."
Criticising those involved in wrong-way driving as "playing Russian roulette with their lives and everyone else's lives," Mr O'Connell urged lawmakers to "look at the sentences" issued by courts. He also encouraged parents to talk to their children about the repercussions of getting into a stolen car "for the craic and the clicks".
