TEEN THREAT | 

Joyrider (16) threatens to steal car and make gardaí chase him down motorway

‘This guy has form, and the threat is being taken extremely seriously’

Yesterday at 14:19

Gardaí are on high alert for a prolific teen car thief who has threatened to steal a car and goad gardaí into chasing him down a busy motorway after being released from custody.

The 16-year-old was released from the Oberstown detention centre in north Dublin this morning where it is understood he was being held in relation to driving offences.

The youth, from west Dublin, is considered an extremely active car thief who has been investigated over several incidents over the past year.

Sources have told Independent.ie that the youth has vowed to steal a car in the capital today and elicit a garda chase down a motorway.

“Gardaí have been put on alert after these comments were made by the youth upon leaving Oberstown to staff,” a source said.

“He has specifically stated that he plans to rob a car tonight and his intentions are to goad gardaí into chasing him down a motorway.

“This guy has form, and the threat is being taken extremely seriously because of the danger it would pose to both gardaí and the general public,” the source added.

The teenager and another juvenile have been top targets for gardaí in west Dublin in relation to the theft of cars and joyriding.

A number of incidents have occurred in recent weeks during which joyriders have driven the wrong way down motorways to escape gardaí.

Last month, five juveniles were arrested after stealing a car in north-west Dublin before using the vehicle in a crime spree across the city.

Sources said that the car was pursued on up to five different occasions within 48 hours but that the teenagers managed to flee after driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway or motorway, including the N2, N3 and M50.

The brazen youths even posted videos of their crimes on social media, including the theft of several cars.

An image posted in one video stated: “Go on the wrong side of the motorway Garda can’t follow.”

In a separate incident over the weekend, a teen was killed after the stolen car he was travelling in sped the wrong way down the M8 motorway in Cork on Saturday morning.

The incident also led to the hospitalisation of five others, including the female driver of the other car, whose condition is described as serious.

The teenage driver of the car, who is known to gardaí, is understood to be originally from Blanchardstown, Dublin, but has been living in Cork in recent times.

He was suspected of being the driver in another incident in recent weeks, in which a stolen car was involved in two chases before driving the wrong way down the N3 in Dublin.

The Garda Ombudsman is carrying out an inquiry into the weekend’s crash because the car involved had an interaction with gardaí earlier in the morning.