Youngest offender is 12!

Gang of youths break into hundreds of cars in Vienna and Lower Austria

The youngsters are said to have broken into over 350 cars in Vienna and Lower Austria. Even cabs!

(Bild: LPD Wien)

A gang of youths is said to have broken into over 350 cars and cabs in the Austrian capital and Lower Austria. The police have already identified 24 suspects between the ages of 12 and 17. The gang is also said to have committed other crimes! 13 members have already been caught. 

It is often hard to believe what goes on in the minds of teenagers. The 24 members of the gang are said to have committed over 500 crimes in the period from fall 2023 to the end of April 2024. According to the police, the youngest offender is only 12 years old. 

Smashing windows with an emergency hammer
The group is suspected of having committed more than 350 burglaries, mainly in cars or cabs, in which they smashed a window of the vehicle, usually with an emergency hammer, and stole valuables such as cash, perfume or charging cables. 

The youths are said to have broken into over 350 cars in Vienna and Lower Austria. Even cabs!

(Bild: LPD Wien)

Joyride with stolen cars
The youths are also said to have broken into two stores and a school. A total of 19 cars are also said to have been stolen in order to go for a joyride. 

At the end of March, seven of the group, aged between 12 and 14, were caught by investigators during break-ins. At the end of April, six more gang members were finally caught. They were caught in Achau when they fled in a stolen vehicle at excessive speed and tried to tailgate a police car. 

How to protect yourself from car thieves

• Always lock your vehicle!
• Never leave your car with the engine running.
• Do not leave car papers, other documents, cash, credit cards, cell phones, tablets, navigation devices or other valuables in the glove compartment or on the back seats.
• Do not keep the spare key in the vehicle.

"During questioning, the accused confessed to numerous criminal offenses. By order of the Vienna public prosecutor's office, a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old Austrian as well as a 14-year-old Serbian national were taken to a prison," said police spokesman Markus Dittrich on Tuesday. The damage currently being investigated amounts to around 300,000 euros.