Intoxicated teen crashes car taken without permission in Styria
Sunday 18th October 2026 on 13:45 in
Austria
Two teenagers took a car without permission early Sunday and crashed it in eastern Styria, where it caught fire. The 16-year-old driver was heavily intoxicated, police said, according to ORF.
Police received an emergency call at about 4.30 a.m. after the car burst into flames in a wooded area in St Kathrein am Hauenstein. Firefighters responded with two vehicles and 15 personnel. A 15-year-old had called them.
The two friends had spent the night at an event before taking the car. It belonged to the father of an 18-year-old who was also at the event and had not noticed the vehicle was missing. Police are investigating how the teenagers obtained the keys.
The 16-year-old was driving, with his 15-year-old friend in the passenger seat. The car left the road, slid into a ditch and hit a tree before catching fire. Both teenagers got out safely and ran away. A breath test showed that the driver was heavily intoxicated. The investigation is ongoing.