Five teenagers killed when their stolen BMW crashed head-on into a family while driving the wrong way on a motorway had been 'terrorising' communities in the days before, according to security sources.
Joey Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O'Brien, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski, aged between 15 and 18, died in the collision on the M9 in County Kildare on Sunday morning. The crash involved a car carrying four members of the Kinsella family.
Social media trend
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said that 'in some cases' cars were being driven the wrong way down motorways for social media likes. The teenagers often posted videos of themselves being chased by gardaí, with one clip showing the view in their rear mirror captioned 'wrong way'.
All five were also suspected in several thefts and burglaries, in addition to further anti-social activities across Kildare and Carlow over the previous two weeks, the Daily Mail reports. Each was wearing a mask when their bodies were retrieved from the wreckage.
Security sources speak out
Security sources said the teenagers were part of an increasing number of youths trying to 'one up' each other in dangerous videos posted to social media.
'These young guys have been terrorising communities for weeks if not longer,' they said. 'They did not care if they were caught as they knew they were underage and that there was little the courts system could do with them.'
They added: 'It's becoming a growing social media trend and it's been a nightmare for gardaí to police because they are often ordered to stand down from pursuits because of the danger that chasing these guys could put the public in.'
Family injured
Sisters Niamh and Alma Kinsella, both in their 30s, younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, and Alma's seven-year-old son Yemi all suffered serious injuries in the other car.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was 'shocked and saddened' at the crash, which was the result of 'an irresponsible and dangerous act'.
He said: 'This is the second appalling crash we've seen on our roads in a matter of days as a result of the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway, endangering the lives of innocent road users.'
Mr Martin added: 'My thoughts and prayers are with the family who have been injured. I wish them a full recovery. The lives of five teenagers have also been lost as a result. Every death on our roads brings untold grief to families and communities. There can be no tolerance for this reckless behaviour that we have seen on our roads recently. It must stop.'
