Line bus thief races through NRW: chase over highways!

Line bus thief races through NRW: chase over highways!

What an incredible incident there has been in North Rhine-Westphalia! A 21-year-old man snapped a regular bus twice from Thursday to Friday, in Baden-Württemberg. The name is not charming for this, but the police are determined and suspected that the young man was on the thief before. According to the information from Süddeutsche.de Ludwigsburg stolen and finally stopped in Pforzheim.

On Friday morning, the man snapped the second bus from the same depot and made his way to Greven in the Münsterland. There, a passerby noticed the unsafe driving style of the driver, who immediately alerted the police. The officers quickly sent a search, but the driver did not stop and raced over several highways, ignored red traffic lights and even drove against the direction of travel, such as rnd.de reported.

from Greven to Amsterdam

The rapid chase ride led the thief from Greven to Münster, then onto the A1 towards Bremen and ultimately on the A30 towards Amsterdam. He caused a number of damage: other vehicles were touched, and guardrails and traffic signs were not spared. The police were forced to block some streets and motorway rides to avoid endangering other road users. The escape finally ended shortly after the junction Ibbenbüren-West, where the bus was stopped.

The driver was arrested slightly injured and is now in a psychiatric hospital, according to a judge. Under the eyes of the investigating police officers, the question arose: What is behind this shocking act? The value of the two stolen line buses amounts to around 150,000 euros, which makes the incident even more amazing. It remains to be seen which backgrounds of the perpetrators had, and the police continue to check all the details and the total damage.

crime in context

seen in a larger context, this is not the only incident that dominates the headlines. According to the police crime statistics (PKS), crime development in Germany is difficult to evaluate. Statistics show a decline in crime for 2024 by 1.7 % to around 5.84 million cases. The main reason for this are fewer cannabis delics as a result of partialization that goes back to April 1, 2024. But the increase in crimes that affect the feeling of security of people throws a shadow on these numbers, as can be read on Statista

The most common crimes in 2024 were thefts as well as asset and counterfeiting offenses that also contribute to social uncertainty. In this sense, the incident with the stolen bus is further proof that crime is part of everyday life even in tranquil North Rhine-Westphalia. It remains to be hoped that the ongoing investigations will quickly bring clarity and that citizens can get a feeling of security back.