Five teenagers 'wearing balaclavas' dead after 'stolen' BMW driven wrong way down M9

The head‑on collision on the M9 near the Moone‑Athy exit happened at about 3 am on Sunday 16 August 2026, on the north‑bound carriageway between junctions 3 and 4. A stolen BMW, driven by five teenage males who all wore balaclavas or masks, careened the wrong way down the motorway twice within minutes before slamming into an on‑coming Hyundai.

According to the Irish Express, gardaí first spotted the BMW behaving suspiciously roughly 30 minutes before the crash. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver accelerated onto the motorway, prompting the force to stand down from pursuit. The car is believed to have performed a U‑turn, rejoined the M9 in the correct direction, then exited at junction 2A before accelerating back onto the north‑bound lane and heading southbound again. A planned stinger‑device operation intended to puncture the BMW’s tyres was abandoned when the occupants saw a police vehicle and fled.

Media additions

The crash left five teenage males dead instantly. Initially, gardaí thought four bodies were visible in the wreckage; specialists moving the vehicle later that afternoon uncovered a fifth body underneath the car, as reported by the Express and the Irish Mirror.

All five teenagers were taken to Naas General Hospital for post‑mortem examinations.

Victims in the Hyundai

The second vehicle, a Hyundai, was carrying an extended family from Carlow travelling to Dublin Airport for a wedding in Britain. The occupants comprised three women and a seven‑year‑old boy. The two women in their 30s were taken to Tallaght University Hospital and remain in critical condition. A woman in her 20s was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in a serious condition, and the child was taken to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, also in a serious condition, as detailed by the Irish Times, the Mirror and The Guardian.

Gardaí confirmed that the four injured remain hospitalized with serious or critical injuries, and that forensic collision investigators have completed their examination of the scene. The road is expected to reopen shortly, and family liaison officers have been appointed to support relatives of both vehicle occupants.

Theft, gang activity and police theory

Sources told the Express that the BMW was stolen from a home in Athy earlier that morning, amid reports of a gang of teenagers attempting to break into cars and houses in the town. Detectives are working on the theory that the teenagers drove the stolen vehicle on the wrong side of the motorway deliberately, believing that doing so would deter police from pursuing them. The Mirror echoed this angle, adding that the occupants may have been motivated by the prospect of “social media likes”.

An Irish Mirror report quoted an anonymous source as saying, Members disengaged the first time it went down the road the wrong way - and didn't get a chance to engage the second time.

Official responses and investigations

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly issued a strongly worded statement, repeated across the Express, Mirror, Guardian and Irish Times. He expressed his thoughts for those injured and condemned the reckless practice of driving on the wrong side of motorways, especially when “in some cases… for social media likes”.

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.

Justin Kelly, Garda Commissioner, via The Mirror

Kelly also noted that the incident “shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is” and that the police force is “constrained” in commenting further because the case has been referred to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.

Fiosrú confirmed that it was notified of the fatal collision and that an on‑call team of investigators attended the scene. Its statutory remit requires it to examine incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured. Both the Express and the Mirror stress that a referral does not automatically imply Garda wrongdoing; rather, it prompts an independent review to determine whether any act or omission by a Garda may have contributed to the deaths or injuries.

Appeals for information

Gardaí have made repeated appeals for witnesses and dash‑cam footage from anyone travelling on the M9 northbound or southbound between 2 am and 3 am on Sunday. Contact numbers for Athy Garda Station, the Garda Confidential Line and any Garda station have been provided.

Link to a recent similar crash

The M9 tragedy follows a comparable incident on Dublin’s M50 just eight days earlier. A stolen Toyota Yaris, carrying nine teenagers, was driven the wrong way and collided with an on‑coming motorist, injuring nine people. That crash also prompted a Fiosrú investigation, highlighting a recent pattern of young offenders using stolen vehicles to drive against traffic for notoriety.

What comes next

• Post‑mortem examinations of the five teenagers will be conducted at Naas General Hospital.