Polish police locate 12-year-old boy safe after 200 km solo car drive from Siechnice
Wrocław and Zielona Góra officers stopped the black Volkswagen Golf in Lubuskie province on Friday afternoon following a multi-hour search across two Polish regions.
Morning departure from Siechnice
A 12-year-old boy left his family home behind the wheel of a passenger car on the morning of Friday, 25 September 2026, prompting an immediate regional police search across south-western Poland. Łukasz Nowak departed from Siechnice, a town situated approximately 10 kilometres south-east of Wrocław, at around 8:00. The child drove away in a black Volkswagen Golf bearing the registration number DWR 1432T, an automobile belonging to his parents. Law enforcement officials were alerted immediately following the boy's disappearance. Officers stressed that a 12-year-old child operating a motor vehicle on active transit corridors posed a serious hazard to himself and all other participants in road traffic.
Surveillance sightings and police alert
Investigating units quickly began tracking the vehicle's movement through municipal traffic cameras in Lower Silesia. At 8:27, surveillance systems recorded the black Golf passing through the intersection of Karkonoska and Zwycięska streets in Wrocław, heading from the city centre toward the southern periphery. Sub-commissioner Aleksandra Freus from the Wrocław Municipal Police Headquarters confirmed that patrol units were actively searching for the child and suspected that the car had already exited Wrocław. Officers published photographs of the 12-year-old and the vehicle, urging residents with reliable tips to immediately phone the Criminal Department at 796 124 001 while asking the public to avoid sharing unverified information.
We have good news! The 12-year-old boy whose disappearance was reported in Siechnice has been found safe and sound. The teenager was found by Wrocław police officers together with officers from the Zielona Góra Municipal Police Headquarters in a parking lot past Zielona Góra. The boy is already safe.
Interception past Zielona Góra
- 12-year-old departs from home in Siechnice behind the wheel of a black Volkswagen Golf
- Traffic cameras record the car at the Karkonoska and Zwycięska intersection in Wrocław
- Police locate the boy unharmed at a parking lot past Zielona Góra after a 200 km drive
The multi-hour search operation concluded on Friday afternoon when law enforcement located the vehicle in Lubuskie province. Patrol officers from the Wrocław Municipal Police, acting in coordination with officers from the Zielona Góra Municipal Police Headquarters, found the boy and the car on a parking lot located past Zielona Góra. The location confirmed that the 12-year-old had navigated the car alone for more than 200 kilometres after departing from his residence in Siechnice. Officers confirmed that the boy was found safe, unharmed, and in good health, bringing an end to the urgent search that mobilised police patrols across two provinces.
Resolution of the cross-regional search
Following the recovery of the child on Friday afternoon, police officers took custody of the boy and secured the parked Volkswagen Golf. Authorities expressed formal gratitude to the community members and drivers who had provided information and assisted the emergency services during the morning operation. Joint coordination between police headquarters in Wrocław and Zielona Góra enabled officers to resolve the incident without any traffic accidents or reported injuries along the 200-kilometre route. The child was placed in protective care to be reunited with his family after hours of unauthorized travel on public roadways.
