Gardaí investigating the M9 crash in Co Kildare believed four people had died until the remains of a fifth victim were found when the wreckage of their car was moved.
The damage to the suspected stolen BMW was so significant emergency responders were unable to access the remains of the dead for hours.
The male teenagers, some of whom were related to each other, were wearing balaclavas, or were otherwise masked, when they died on the M9 at about 3am. The deceased were aligned to a large group known to gardaí around the Carlow-Kildare region.
Family and friends have posted messages, naming the teenagers as: Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick; Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy, Co Kildare; Jeremy O’Brien, who was in his late teens and from Carlow; Joe “Joey” Carthy (15) from Athy; and Alex McCarthy (17) from Carlow.
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Gardaí had reports of males, believed to be teenagers, seen trying to break into houses and cars parked outside homes in Athy, Co Kildare, in the hours before the fatal crash. Gardaí believe those males spotted in Athy were the same group later killed on the motorway.
The Irish Times understands the black BMW was driven down the M9 in the wrong direction, speeding into oncoming traffic, in two stints in the early hours of Sunday. Gardaí in a patrol car had earlier requested the vehicle to stop at about 2am in Athy, but the driver sped off.
During their first period of driving into oncoming traffic on the M9, the BMW did a U-turn and came off the motorway, going into a service station in the Kilcullen area. The vehicle then turned at that station and drove back on to the M9, southward, on the northbound carriageway.
Gardaí on duty in the area had put a plan in place – including deploying stinger devices that puncture car tyres – off the motorway, around the Junction 3 off ramp at Moone. However, rather than exit the M9 there, the BMW continued, crashing into a Hyundai carrying three sisters in their 20s and 30s from Carlow and the seven-year-old son of one of those women.
[ Analysis: What is behind ‘wrong way’ motorway driving by teenagers?Opens in new window ]
The women and child were making their way to Dublin Airport, to travel to Britain for a family wedding, when they were struck head-on. The two women in their 30s, the driver and front-seat passenger, are in a critical condition in Tallaght University Hospital. “A female rear-seat passenger, aged in her 20s, was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital and is in a serious condition,” gardaí said. “A young child was also in the back seat at the time of the crash and has been taken to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, where their condition was described as serious.”
The bodies of the five teenagers were taken to Naas General Hospital for postmortems.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly yesterday afternoon hit out at those who drive down motorways the wrong way, saying it was “appalling” and often done for social media “likes” – a reference to joyriders recording themselves for sharing on social media platforms.
In comments that are perhaps unprecedented in their strength in the aftermath of a multiple fatality road crash, Kelly said the “horrific incident shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is”.
“[What] makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that, in some cases, it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves,” he said.
His thoughts were with the injured who were “travelling innocently” at the time, as well as with gardaí and other first responders confronted with such a difficult scene.
While “gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles”, other road users had to be taken into consideration and interventions were “really challenging”, he said.
Gardaí believe the BMW was driven on to the wrong side of the M9 because the driver was trying to evade gardaí and likely knew Garda patrol cars in the area would not be allowed to pursue them driving against traffic. It is understood gardaí were not pursuing the BMW at the time of the crash.
Fiosrú has become involved in the case following a referral by the gardaí. The policing watchdog agency, must be alerted to any incident involving the serious injury or death of a person at or around the time they had contact with gardaí.
