M9 crash: What happened when? From attempted break-ins to fatal collision

Gardaí have gathered CCTV footage, including from camera doorbells at private houses, showing young males trying to break into cars and houses in Co Kildare just hours before five teenagers were killed in a crash on the M9 early on Sunday. The investigation team at Athy Garda station believes the youths captured in the footage are the same boys who later died near Moone after colliding with another vehicle while driving in the wrong direction down the motorway. The deceased have been named locally as Kamil Pustkowski (17) from Limerick; Jack Kennedy (17) from Athy; Jeremy O’Brien (18) from Carlow; Joe “Joey” Carthy (15) from Athy; and Alex McCarthy (17) from Carlow. The BMW they were in was not registered to any of them or their families, but was not stolen. It is believed to have been purchased for about €1,000 early last week. Saturday night into Sunday morning, several young males recorded attempting thefts in Athy, Co Kildare, traveling in the same BMW involved in the crash hours later. Gardaí in the Carlow-Kildare area were alerted to a group of teenagers active in the region around this time. The BMW was spotted in Athy at 2am, driving around and checking doors for unlocked vehicles or cash. Gardaí attempted to stop the vehicle but it left before they could intervene. The car was driven along the M9 in the correct direction and on minor roads between junctions 4 and 2A. At 3am, the BMW was driven down the M9 in the wrong direction twice. On the first attempt, it did a U-turn, entered a service station near junction 2A, and then returned to the motorway. The car then crashed into a Hyundai at Moone at about 3am. Four people in the Hyundai—three sisters and a seven-year-old boy—were injured and taken to hospitals. Alma and Niamh Kinsella were critically injured and remain in serious condition. Investigation efforts focus on reconstructing the BMW’s movements before the crash, as the five deceased cannot be interrogated. The incident is linked to a broader trend of youth-related vehicle thefts and joyriding, often involving cars without immobilizers. The term 'Lucky Dip' gang, though media-coined, refers to a broader crime wave involving joyriding and robberies, with some members recording their activities on social media like TikTok. Organized gangs also steal cars for parts, contributing to the rise in thefts.