Officers told not to pursue car on wrong side of motorway, says police body
Five Teenagers Killed After Police Ordered to Drop Pursuit on Irish Motorway
Ninoda.com – A head-on collision on the M9 Northbound near Junction 3 in County Kildare claimed the lives of five teenagers at approximately 03:00 on Sunday. Two women remain in critical condition, while a third woman and a seven-year-old boy are listed as seriously injured. The injured group — two women in their thirties, one in her twenties, and the young boy — are believed to be from Carlow.
The five young men identified locally as victims are Joe Carthy of Athy, County Kildare; Alex McCarthy of Carlow; Kamil Pustkowski of Limerick; Jeremy O'Brien; and Jack Kennedy, according to RTÉ News.
Police Command Ordered Officers to Stand Down
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has revealed that officers were instructed to abandon their pursuit of a vehicle travelling the wrong way along the motorway shortly before the fatal impact. Tara McManus, the association's Assistant General Secretary, explained that the car had taken what she described as "evasive action," prompting a command from the control centre to pull back.
"At that stage our members would not continue in that pursuit and the directions that were given by our command and control centre were to disengage."
McManus told BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster programme that the teenagers had been inside the vehicle for several hours prior to the crash, and that gardaí had tried to make contact and halt the car on "several occasions." Officers deployed stinger devices in an effort to immobilise the vehicle, but it continued travelling in the direction of the motorway.
"That would be the normal procedure for us that we do not engage with a car that has decided to take that sort of evasive action."
No Pursuit Training for Roads Policing Officers
McManus stressed that the roads policing specialists involved had not received pursuit training, and warned that acting without such preparation could expose officers to serious personal consequences. The GRA, which represents rank-and-file gardaí, said it would back tougher legislation — including stiffer sentences and driving bans — for those caught behaving dangerously on Irish roads.
Aftermath Described as "Horrific" for Attending Officers
The crash took place between Junction 3 and Junction 4 of the M9. McManus characterised the scene's aftermath as "horrific" for the gardaí who responded, adding that those officers may need counselling lasting "months or years" to process what they witnessed. An Garda Síochána spokesperson was contacted for comment.
Road Safety Campaigner Calls for Urgent Reform
Leo Lieghio, vice president of the Irish Road Victims Association, urged greater urgency in addressing road fatalities. His own 16-year-old daughter, Marsia, was struck by a driver doing 50 mph at a pedestrian crossing in Dublin in 2005 and died in hospital six days later.
"Their lives have been turned upside down through no fault of their own. They will be going through hell."
Lieghio argued that consequences and early intervention must be sharpened, particularly where driving behaviour borders on the criminal. He called for structured programmes aimed at young people involved in dangerous road activity, alongside broader accountability from drivers and the public.
"We should be looking at structured intervention, something that teaches responsibility."
He also urged members of the public to report wrongdoings they observe on the roads.
"We all have a responsibility on our roads, and if we see something wrong happening, we should be reporting it. We need consequences for a change of behaviour."
Recalling his own grief, Lieghio said:
"I can imagine what's going on in those hospitals now. I sat beside my daughter's bed for six days, praying and hoping for something to change, but she couldn't fight anymore."
As of this report, 123 road deaths have been recorded in the Republic of Ireland in 2026 — eighteen more than at the equivalent point in 2025.
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