13-year-old stole car

Chase with police stopped by accident

The young lad kept the police on their toes.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

Apparently out of boredom, a 13-year-old in Burgenland grabbed a car at the weekend and then sped down the highway at breakneck speed. 

A 13-year-old boy who caused a major police operation in Burgenland and Lower Austria at the weekend was apparently not very interested in soccer. The youngster was probably bored during a match at the Kukmirn sports ground on Saturday afternoon and then got into the referee's house. There he found the keys to a linesman's car and decided to take the vehicle for a "joyride".

Car gone, boy gone
Before the final whistle, both the car and the 13-year-old had disappeared. Despite a manhunt, he and the car could not be found for the time being. Until the boy was discovered by chance in Wr. Neustadt on Sunday. However, the 13-year-old had no desire to hand the car back in and then had a wild chase with the police.

Escape at 180 km/h on the expressway
He stepped on the gas, joined the S 4 and then continued on the A 2 to the S 6 towards Semmering. In order to escape the police cars, he kept the accelerator pedal fully depressed and was traveling at speeds of 160 to 180 km/h at times. The officers' attempts to stop him were unsuccessful. Near Gloggnitz, however, the young man lost his driving skills and crashed into a crash barrier in a roadworks area, damaging the car so badly that he was unable to continue.

Softgun and stun gun
Several police vehicles and even the Cobra took part in the chase. The boy was initially arrested. When the officers searched the car after the accident, they came across a softgun and a stun gun. It also turned out that the youth had swapped the car's Burgenland license plate for a Styrian one. It is not yet clear where the license plate came from. As the 13-year-old is still under the age of criminal responsibility, the "excursion" is unlikely to have any consequences for him.