Gdynia mayor reports loosened wheel bolts after family loses car wheel on trip

Wheel detachment during family journey

Gdynia Mayor Aleksandra Kosiorek revealed that wheel bolts on two rear wheels of her private automobile were loosened before a family trip. Her husband and three children were travelling in the vehicle over the weekend when one of the rear wheels detached completely on the road. Kosiorek herself was not inside the vehicle when the incident occurred. The family had driven for more than 200 kilometres, including sections on a highway, before the wheel came off. The car was moving at a relatively low speed at the exact moment of detachment, preventing any physical injuries or collisions. Kosiorek noted that unusual sounds near the wheels were first detected on Thursday, indicating that the bolts were likely tampered with while the vehicle was still parked in Gdynia.

In an interview with Radio Gdańsk, Kosiorek detailed the circumstances of the mechanical failure.

In my car, the bolts on two rear wheels were loosened and while driving, on the route, the car in which my husband was driving with three children lost one of the wheels. We know that the loosening must have happened back in Gdynia, because my husband already heard troubling sounds on Thursday. He thought the causes were different, but on Sunday it turned out that it was about the bolts. They drove over 200 kilometres, on a highway, but fortunately the wheel fell off on a road where he was not moving too fast. I was not in that car.

Police proceedings and prosecutorial review

Following the incident, the family filed an official notification with law enforcement authorities in Gdynia on Monday. The formal report alleges an offense involving the direct endangerment of human life or the exposure of individuals to grievous bodily harm. Officers from the Gdynia City Police Headquarters initiated evidence collection across the city immediately after receiving the complaint. Investigators transferred the compiled documentation to the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdynia to establish the legal qualification of the incident and direct subsequent steps.

Aspirant Marek Kobiałko from the Gdynia City Police described the operational status of the case.

In this case, actions were immediately undertaken to collect evidentiary material providing a full picture of the incident that occurred. Activities are still ongoing. The evidentiary material collected so far has been transferred to the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdynia to make a legal and criminal assessment and determine the further course of proceedings.

Technical assessment and prior threats

Investigators are appointing an expert witness in automotive mechanics to examine the vehicle. The specialist will determine whether the bolts on both rear wheels could have loosened spontaneously through operational wear or whether deliberate mechanical intervention took place. Kosiorek stated that accidental loosening appeared improbable given that bolts on two separate wheels were affected simultaneously. During her interview, the mayor also disclosed that she had received targeted threats prior to this event, extending beyond general internet hostility. In response to those warnings, police officials offered her assigned personal protection, an option that Kosiorek and her husband are evaluating.