Social media videos allegedly show five teenagers in the hours before they were killed in a car travelling the wrong way on a motorway in Ireland. The footage, which appears to be recorded from inside a car, shows a police vehicle travelling behind with blue lights flashing. One clip is captioned: "Ur last spin boys. To hear your voices in this boys has me in a pain that can’t be described."
Videos circulate after fatal crash
Another video, filmed from inside a BMW travelling along a main road, pans towards the passenger seat, where a male is seen wearing a black balaclava. The videos claim to show 15-year-old Joe Carthy, 17-year-olds Alex McCarthy, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski, and 18-year-old Jeremy O’Brien, who died in the crash. The video carries the captions: "I love ya brother" and "Gonna be missed boys."
The teens lost their lives after their high-powered BMW – heading in the wrong direction on the M9 in County Kildare at speeds believed to have been in excess of 74mph – smashed into a Hyundai en route to Dublin Airport in the early hours of Sunday morning. The video has been widely circulated on social media after the fatal collision. Some accounts claim the videos show the teens in the BMW before the crash. The authenticity and timing of the videos has not been independently verified, the Irish Mirror reports.
Family injured in collision
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 in rural County Kildare. The occupants of the Hyundai, three women and a young child, were from the same extended family from Carlow. They were all lucky to survive the crash but suffered serious injuries, it was reported on Monday.
The driver, 40, and her front seat passenger, 30s, remain in a critical condition at Tallaght University Hospital in south Dublin. The boy, aged just seven, is being treated at Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The woman who was in the back seat beside the boy is in a serious condition at St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny. She is said to be in her 20s. 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 reaction
Cops confirmed they were aware of the BMW prior to the crash, but said no pursuit was underway at the time of the impact. Gardai (Irish Police) have since established that the BMW involved in the crash wasn’t stolen. They believe it may have been sold for cash by its innocent owner to an associate of the teenager, the Irish Sun reported on Monday. The bodies of the teenagers were removed from the wreckage after Garda Forensic Officers completed an examination of the scene. It is expected to be several days before the post-mortems are concluded and the teens' bodies can be released to their families.
Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin 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.” Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said that gardai “will have whatever resources they require from Government in order to respond to this threat to public safety.” He condemned the “reckless” driving that caused the M9 crash as “outrageously dangerous criminal behaviour” and told journalists driving the wrong way down a motorway is “lethally dangerous”, adding “it must stop”.
A priest in Carlow who had been speaking to affected families said there is an atmosphere of “sadness” and “disbelief” in the area, while also “hope” for those who have been hurt. Anyone with information is asked to contact Athy Garda Station on 01 666 6000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
