A combination of luck and the disciplined, coordinated work of police officers prevented a more than 100-kilometre high-speed chase from ending in tragedy.
Early in the afternoon of 25 June, police received a report that a van had been stolen in Debrecen. Using the vehicle’s GPS coordinates, several police units were dispatched within minutes and quickly located the moving vehicle. Following protocol, officers activated their emergency lights and attempted to pull the driver over.
Instead of stopping, the driver accelerated and fled. Several patrol cars pursued the vehicle for kilometres, continuing into Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, where additional police units had already been deployed after the Operations Control Centre alerted neighbouring counties through its emergency coordination system.
During the pursuit, the fleeing driver covered nearly 100 kilometres, at times reaching speeds of up to 180 km/h on motorways and main roads. Throughout the chase, officers worked to protect other road users by closing motorway exits and access roads and diverting traffic away from the speeding van whenever possible.
The dangerous pursuit finally came to an end on the M3 motorway when the van crashed into traffic control barriers and stopped. Two occupants jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot, but they did not get far. Police officers caught both suspects within minutes in a nearby field.
The driver, a 15-year-old boy, and his passenger, a 14-year-old girl, were taken to the Debrecen Police Department. Both were questioned on suspicion of the unauthorised use of a motor vehicle and taken into custody. A court later ordered criminal supervision for the boy, while the girl was released pending further proceedings.
Investigators also discovered that cash had gone missing from the van, meaning the teenagers will also face theft charges. In addition, the 15-year-old driver is being investigated for endangering road traffic, driving without a licence, and several other traffic-related offences.
