Ukrainian teenagers damage eight cars on Hamburg’s A7 motorway
Two Ukrainian teenagers, aged 14 and 18, have been arrested in Hamburg, Germany, after allegedly throwing around 200 stones from a railway bridge onto the busy A7 motorway.
The incident occurred on the evening of 3 November near the Stellingen Tunnel. At least eight vehicles were damaged, including broken windscreens, although no injuries were reported.
According to German public broadcaster NDR, police temporarily closed the motorway in both directions, causing significant traffic disruption. Railway services were also suspended while emergency teams secured the area.
Officers detained the suspects near the bridge. Both were subsequently released: the 18-year-old after questioning and the 14-year-old into his mother’s care.
Prosecutors’ response raises questions
Throwing stones onto a high-speed motorway can have potentially fatal consequences. Even a relatively small object striking a windscreen can cause a driver to lose control, particularly on German autobahns where some sections have no general speed limit.
The original account alleges that police initially treated the incident as attempted murder, but prosecutors subsequently classified it as dangerous interference with road traffic, finding insufficient grounds to establish intent to kill.
The suspects were reportedly living with their mothers in refugee accommodation. Whether their Ukrainian background influenced the legal response is not established. The decision to release both teenagers has nevertheless raised questions about how seriously the authorities are treating the danger posed to motorists.
Investigators are also examining a possible connection with an earlier stone-throwing incident on the same motorway, two days before the arrests. During that attack, a 27-year-old woman was reportedly injured by fragments of her shattered windscreen. The perpetrators were not identified at the time.
Hamburg Police are now investigating whether the two teenagers were involved in that incident as well. Both remain at liberty while the investigation continues.
