Israeli driver in Łódź deliberately runs over cyclist after confrontation, faces life sentence

The incident

On 22 July 2026, a 34-year-old Israeli citizen driving a Mercedes along ul. Zgierska in Łódź turned onto ul. Krótka and entered a marked bike lane, forcing a 48-year-old Polish cyclist to brake sharply and swerve to avoid a collision. The cyclist then approached the car to remonstrate with the driver. As he stood by the front right door, the driver reversed, steering left and deliberately hitting him.

When he stood at the front door, the car reversed to deliberately hit the man.

Immediately afterwards, the driver moved forward, then reversed a second time, striking the cyclist again and running over his left foot. The entire sequence was recorded by municipal CCTV cameras. The driver then fled without providing any assistance.

Injuries and escape

The victim sustained serious injuries. Prosecutor Paweł Jasiak, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office in Łódź, detailed the damage:

As a result of the car wheel running over the left foot and crushing it, the 48-year-old cyclist suffered open bone fractures.

The cyclist was hospitalised with open fractures of the left leg. The driver did not stop to help and left the scene.

Arrest and drug evidence

Officers from the Bałuty police station launched an immediate manhunt. The suspect was located and arrested the next day, 23 July, in Piotrków Trybunalski, roughly 50 km south-east of Łódź. A search of the apartment where he was staying yielded over 200 grams of marijuana. Subsequent toxicology tests confirmed he had been driving under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack.

The driver, as it turned out after tests, was driving under the influence of drugs. During a search, over 200 grams of marijuana were also found on him.

Charges and detention

The man was brought before the Łódź-Polesie District Prosecutor's Office and charged with four offences: attempted causing of grievous bodily harm in the form of a disease realistically threatening life, which could have led to death; causing the described injuries; driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated; and possession of a significant quantity of narcotics. The most serious charge carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment; the drug possession charge alone carries up to 10 years.

During his interrogation, the suspect, an Israeli national, did not admit to any of the alleged acts. The prosecutor applied to the court for three months of pre-trial detention, arguing that the man's foreign citizenship created a flight risk and that the gravity of the potential sentence warranted custody. The court accepted the application in full on 27 July, and the 34-year-old was remanded in custody. The police released the CCTV footage the same day, showing the deliberate nature of the attack.