Story perspectives

Gardai Investigate Wrong-Way M9 Crash Killing Five Teenagers

8/19/2026

Summary

Micheál Martin Mourns

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was saddened by the M9 crash that killed five teenagers.
The crash involved a BMW travelling the wrong side of the motorway, shown in social-media videos.
Gardai are investigating the collision while the Garda Síochána Ombudsman (Fiosru) reviews Garda contact with the BMW.
Assistant General Secretary Tara McManus cited a video of the wrong-way car narrowly avoiding two trucks at Junction 3, Co Kildare, urging stronger road-safety enforcement.

Summary

Crash Kills

Crash killed five victims: Jeremy O’Brien (18), Alex McCarthy (17), Joey Carty (15), Jack Kennedy (17) and Kamil Pustkowski (17).
The stolen BMW was tied to the ‘Lucky Dip’ burglary gang while Gardaí assigned liaison officers to families as M9 reopened on Monday morning.
A seven-year-old boy is in Crumlin Children’s Hospital, with driver and front passenger critical at Tallaght University Hospital and woman serious at St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny.

History

Historical Context

After a surge in fatalities, the Irish government founded the Road Safety Authority in September 2006 to centralise road-safety policy. Ireland authorised a 70 mph motorway limit in 1992 and, after 184 deaths in 2023, the RSA faced criticism from the Garda Síochána and the Ombudsman over a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way on the M9, echoing longstanding safety concerns.

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Micheál Martin Mourns

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was saddened by the M9 crash that killed five teenagers.
The crash involved a BMW travelling the wrong side of the motorway, shown in social-media videos.
Gardai are investigating the collision while the Garda Síochána Ombudsman (Fiosru) reviews Garda contact with the BMW.
Assistant General Secretary Tara McManus cited a video of the wrong-way car narrowly avoiding two trucks at Junction 3, Co Kildare, urging stronger road-safety enforcement.

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