Five teenage boys were killed in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 2026, when a stolen BMW they were riding in drove the wrong way down a motorway in County Kildare, Ireland, slamming head-on into a family’s car — leaving four people, including a 7-year-old boy, seriously injured in hospital.
The collision took place at approximately 3:00 a.m. on the M9 motorway northbound, between Junction 3 and Junction 4, near Moone, County Kildare. The black BMW had been reported stolen earlier that day. The teenagers inside were wearing balaclavas or were otherwise masked when they died.
Family and friends on social media identified the five boys as Joe “Joey” Carthy, 15, from Athy, County Kildare; Jack Kennedy, 17, also from Athy; Alex McCarthy, 17, from Carlow; Jeremy O’Brien, 18, from Carlow; and Kamil Pustkowski, 17, from Limerick. O’Brien and McCarthy were cousins.
A Family Bound for a Wedding
The vehicle the BMW struck was a Hyundai traveling in the correct direction on the motorway. Inside were three sisters and a young boy headed to Dublin Airport for a flight to Britain to attend a relative’s wedding. Alma Kinsella and Niamh Kinsella, both in their 30s, were in the front seats. Their younger sister, Ella Hendricken, who is in her 20s, was seated in the rear alongside her nephew, the 7-year-old boy.
All four are from the Carlow area. As of Monday, August 17, Alma Kinsella and Niamh Kinsella remained in a serious condition at Tallaght University Hospital. Hendricken had been transferred from St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny, to St. Vincent’s University Hospital, where she was receiving care for severe injuries. The boy was receiving treatment for severe injuries at Crumlin children’s hospital.
Outrage Over Social Media-Fueled Recklessness
Irish officials were swift and unsparing in their condemnation, with particular anger directed at the role social media may have played in encouraging dangerous driving. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly called the crash a “horrific incident” driven by “irresponsible and dangerous driving.” Kelly said the reckless conduct was made worse by the fact that sometimes such actions are carried out to gain social media approval, with no thought given to the potentially catastrophic consequences for victims and the drivers themselves.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan condemned the behavior “in the strongest possible terms,” calling it “reckless criminal behaviour.” O’Callaghan said driving a vehicle intentionally in the wrong direction on a motorway amounts to deadly dangerous conduct that must cease. He said he had spoken with Garda Commissioner Kelly and made clear that police would receive whatever resources they required from government to respond to what he described as a threat to public safety.
O’Callaghan also pointed to the responsibilities of technology platforms, saying social media companies “have a big responsibility in respect of this.” He said platforms claim in their policies they won’t permit content glorifying crime, but unfortunately this hasn’t been enforced and the companies must improve their performance.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said he was “shocked and saddened” and described the tragedy as another terrible collision within days caused by reckless wrong-way driving on a motorway that put innocent travelers in mortal danger. He called it an “irresponsible and dangerous act,” adding that it was shocking that in some cases it was being done for likes on social media.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) added its voice to the calls for reform. GRA spokesman James Morrisroe said that those engaging in such behavior were playing “Russian roulette” with their own lives and those of innocent members of the public. The GRA pressed for stronger legislation to address dangerous driving.
Communities Grieve Five Young Lives
In the towns of Athy and Carlow, shock and grief settled heavily over communities coming to terms with the loss of five young people. Parish priest Fr. Seamus McEntee said people were “struggling for words to try and make sense” of what had happened, describing it as a “terrible tragic situation.” McEntee said residents were confused and in disbelief as details emerged, with some wondering if they themselves might have been caught up in the incident had they been traveling to the airport that morning.
Joe Carthy, the youngest of the five at 15, was remembered as a member of St. Michael’s Boxing Club in Athy. His parents are William and Gemma, and he had three brothers and two sisters. The club expressed sympathy for those seriously hurt in the crash and their families during this challenging period.
The five deceased teenagers were said to be aligned with a larger group known to gardaí in the Carlow-Kildare region, though authorities have not elaborated publicly on the nature of that connection.
Platforms Under Pressure to Act
In the aftermath of the crash, technology companies faced mounting scrutiny over content related to dangerous driving. TikTok said it was closely monitoring material connected to the incident and was removing videos and accounts that violated its rules. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it was restricting users under 18 from viewing content deemed unsuitable, including content that depicted or encouraged dangerous driving.
Irish officials signaled that pressure on these platforms would continue and intensify, with Minister O’Callaghan making clear that a failure to enforce their own codes of conduct on content glorifying criminal behavior was no longer acceptable.