Horrific Kildare crash to feature on Virgin Media documentary
Five teenagers were killed after the BMW in which they were travelling in drove the wrong direction
The horrific M9 crash in August, which resulted in the deaths of two Kildare teenagers, will feature in a major new Virgin Media documentary examining joyriding, stolen cars and youth crime in Ireland.
Joyriders: Ireland’s Lucky Dip Gang, presented by Virgin Media News Crime Correspondent Paul Quinn, will air on Tuesday, September 29 at 9pm on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media PLAY.
The documentary examines the August 16 crash near Moone, Co Kildare, in which five teenagers were killed after the BMW in which they were travelling in drove the wrong direction on the M9 and collided with another vehicle.
The teenagers were Joe “Joey” Carthy, aged 15, and Jack Kennedy, aged 17, both from Athy, along with Kamil Pustkowski, 17, from Limerick, and Carlow teenagers Jeremy O’Brien, 18, and Alex McCarthy, 17.
Four members of a Carlow family travelling in the other vehicle were seriously injured.
The crash followed an earlier interaction with gardaí in the Athy town area . A subsequent Fiosrú investigation found that Gardaí had acted appropriately before the fatal collision.
The documentary explores the wider “Lucky Dip” phenomenon, involving opportunistic thefts of cars and other property, and examines the challenges facing Gardaí when dealing with stolen vehicles and dangerous driving.
It also looks at youth justice, the capacity pressures at Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the balance between rehabilitation and public protection.
Among those featured is retired Offaly farmer Seamus Farrell, whose home was targeted by masked intruders, while Conor Farrelly discusses the death of his brother Michael “Mikey” Farrelly after he was struck by a stolen car in Baldoyle in 2024.