All five were wearing balaclavas after their car stopped failed to stop for cops before smashing into the innocent family’s Hyundai at 3am on the M9 in rural Co Kildare, Ireland
All five teenagers killed in a car travelling the wrong way on a motorway have been named for the first time after the horror smash.
Jeremy O’Brien, 18, Joey Carthy, 15, Alex McCarthy, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski, who were 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.
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 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.
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.
And 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.
Following the completion of forensic examinations by Garda (Irish police) 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.
Sources say gardai will not be formally releasing the names of the five victims for several days, but our sister title the Irish Mirror has learned all their identities and have published them.
Although the names have not been formally released, gardai have notified all the teens’ relatives and a liaison officer has been appointed to each family.
It is expected to be several days before the post-mortems are concluded and the teens’ bodies can be released to their families.
The BMW is suspected of driving at more than 120km/h when it crashed into the Hyundai near Junction 3 of the M9 in Co Kildare at around 3am on Sunday.
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.
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”.
This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated. Please refresh the page regularly with the latest news, pictures and videos.
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters.
Get all the very best headlines, pictures, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following Daily Star every time you see our name.
Follow Daily Star on Android – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Apple – CLICK HERE
Follow Daily Star on Snapchat – CLICK HERE
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @starbreaksnews and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/thedailystar.