Five teenagers killed when a stolen car smashed into an unsuspecting family on the M9 had allegedly spent the previous two weeks causing fear across several communities through break-ins and vehicle thefts.
The boys, aged from 15 to 18, have been identified as Joey Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O’Brien, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski.
All five were travelling in the same stolen BMW when it was involved in a fatal two-car crash on the M9 in County Kildare on Sunday morning.
Investigators believe the teenagers were linked to a string of car thefts, burglaries and other serious anti-social incidents reported across the Kildare and Carlow areas over at least the past fortnight.
The group had frequently uploaded footage appearing to show them being pursued by gardaí. In one clip shared before the fatal crash, the camera focuses on a car’s rear-view mirror alongside the caption: “wrong way”.
The Mail has confirmed that the teenagers had also previously posted images of tools allegedly used to steal vehicles. The powerful BMW involved in Sunday’s devastating collision had reportedly been taken earlier that night and was seen in a number of locations around Kildare before the crash.
Gardaí believe the same group may have carried out a burglary in the area only hours before they died.
Officers are also examining whether the teenagers were connected to several attempted car robberies reported across the region during the same night.
Five teenage boys, all wearing balaclavas, were killed in the head-on collision as they drove south up the northbound carriageway on the M9 in County Kildare, Ireland
Kamil Pustowski was one of five teenagers to die in the collision. One video posted in tribute to Pustkowski showed a man carrying out dangerous manoeuvres in a vehicle with the comment, ‘this one’s for you, Kamil’
Joey Carthy also died in the crash on the M9 motorway. In a social media tribute, someone published a picture of a balaclava with the caption: ‘Your bally (sic) you gave me the other day. My heart’s in bits. Please, man. Don’t do this to us, Joe.’
All five of the dead teenagers were wearing masks when gardaí came upon the grisly crash scene.
Friends of the teenagers posted pictures of the young men wearing balaclavas and driving cars at dangerous speeds.
One video posted in tribute to Pustkowski showed a man carrying out dangerous manoeuvres in a vehicle with the comment, ‘this one’s for you, Kamil’.
In another social media post, someone published a picture of a balaclava with the caption: ‘Your bally (sic) you gave me the other day. My heart’s in bits. Please, man. Don’t do this to us, Joe.’
Security sources told how the five youngsters were part of a growing group of teenagers who have been trying to ‘one up’ each other by posting more and more dangerous videos on social media.
‘These young guys have been terrorising communities for weeks if not longer,’ a source told the Mail. ‘They go out and target cars they believe don’t have immobilisers and then go out joyriding.
‘Most of the time they were wearing masks or balaclavas but at times they’d show their faces. They did not care if they were caught as they knew they were underage and that there was little the courts system could do with them.
The source added: ‘I want to be clear here. These lads were not the only ones who have done things of this nature.
‘It’s becoming a growing social media trend and it’s been a nightmare for gardaí to police because they are often ordered to stand down from pursuits because of the danger that chasing these guys could put the public in.
‘It’s a no-win situation for Gardaí here and now you have four innocent people who have been injured because of this recklessness.’
A Carlow priest who had been speaking to families impacted by the crash said there is an atmosphere of ‘sadness’ and ‘disbelief’ in the community, but there is also ‘hope’ for those who have been hurt.
Father Tom Little told RTÉ’s News at One: ‘It makes us realise, too, the danger of the roads and the need to be careful.’
Four people in the second vehicle – including a seven-year-old boy – were seriously injured. The innocent victims were all from the same family and on their way to Dublin Airport to get a flight to England for a family wedding.
Sisters Alma and Niamh Kinsella, both in their 30s, were in the front of the car.
Their sister, Ellie Hendricken – who is in her 20s – was in the back with her nephew. All four were still being treated in hospital last night with severe injuries.
A school principal in Carlow said the town is ‘numb’. Fergal Browne, principal of St Joseph’s National School, who is also a Fine Gael councillor, told RTÉ’s News At One: ‘There’s a huge range of emotions. This is a tragedy on so many levels and it’s going to take a long time to recover from.
‘People are thinking of the family who were involved in the crash on the way to the airport, and everyone is hoping they’ll make full recoveries and, obviously, the families of the people who passed away are grieving and they’ve a long difficult journey ahead of them as well.’
Mr Browne said he knew one of the boys who died as he was a past pupil.
A forensic collision examination will take place while police investigate the circumstances of the head-on crash
Alex McCarthy was one of the five boys who died in the collision in County Kildare on Sunday morning
![Jeremy O'Brien was one of five teenagers to lose his life in the collision. His cousin wrote in tribute: 'RIP to my cousin. [He] was like a brother. [May] God give you the bed in heaven, you'll be missed.'](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/08/18/10/110678465-16060309-Jeremy_O_Brien_was_one_of_five_teenagers_to_lose_his_life_in_the-a-12_1787044164326.jpg)
Jeremy O’Brien was one of five teenagers to lose his life in the collision. His cousin wrote in tribute: ‘RIP to my cousin. [He] was like a brother. [May] God give you the bed in heaven, you’ll be missed.’
Jack Kennedy was the fifth teenage boy to lose his life in the crash yesterday
A number of suitcases were seen next to the family’s car bound for a trip to Dublin Airport to fly to the UK for a wedding. All four occupants are still being treated in hospital
A family friend said of dead teen Joe Carthy: ‘Only a baby with his whole life ahead of him, most mannered little boy you were Joey.
‘Too good for this big cruel world, watch over my James he’s heartbroken over you. Your poor father and mother, Joey.
‘Please God give them this strength to get through this. Rest easy champ.’
A friend of Kamil Pustkowski wrote: ‘My heart is broken, you’re gonna be missed so much by everyone. Rest in paradise, God is going to give you the best bed up there.’
A cousin of Jeremy O’Brien said: ‘RIP to my cousin. [He] was like a brother. [May] God give you the bed in heaven, you’ll be missed.’
Gardaí are attempting to verify whether the boys are part of the ‘Lucky Dip’ burglary and car-theft gang in Dublin.
Post-mortem examinations will soon be carried out to establish a cause of death.
The Lucky Dip gang started as just one group of teenagers who caused problems in the Dublin region for the past 18 months.
Since its emergence, multiple similar groups have formed.
They are different groups of teenagers coming together to ‘show the others, if you can do this, we can do it better’ the source told the Mail.
They added: ‘It’s a race to the bottom and I know we have five young men not going home to their families but there are four innocent people in hospital here as well and we have to wish them a full and speedy recovery.
‘Legislation is needed. Be that stronger penalties for young people involved in this behaviour. Or else we need to look at the parents.
‘There are five dead who are children under the law. It’s up to the parents to make sure they are being cared for.’
The thuggish culture has been steadily growing for the last three years, gardaí have said.
The weekend before this latest crash, nine people were injured in a head-on collision on the M50 in Dublin with a car also travelling in the wrong direction on the motorway.
In a statement following the multiple fatalities, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said on Sunday: ‘My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9.
‘These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.
‘This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong-side of the motorway is.
‘That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.’
John Joe O’Connell, the GRA vice-president, said yesterday: ‘This involved a stolen BMW that drove, trying to evade gardaí, drove the wrong way down the M9 and then a head-on collision occurred with this car of a family heading to Dublin Airport on holidays for a few days.’
Mr O’Connell said the BMW had earlier failed to stop for gardaí and it was his understanding that an instruction was given not to engage with the vehicle as it travelled the wrong way down the M9.
Asked if this was standard procedure, he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: ‘It would be standard practice, and the command and control centre would be dictating what happens in a live environment.’
He added: ‘The members in the cars have to make a split-second decision.’
Mr O’Connell said that there were ‘numerous gangs’ of boys and young men who were all ‘trying to outdo each other’ by streaming videos on social media depicting interactions with the gardaí, and showing dangerous pursuits and wrong-way driving.
