Düsseldorf car thieves flee with owner on hood, crash minutes later in Oberbilk
A 32-year-old woman from Cologne was slightly injured after trying to stop thieves stealing her car in a Düsseldorf underground garage, ending up on the hood before falling off. The stolen car crashed minutes later in Oberbilk, where police arrested two suspects.
The theft in the underground garage
In the night leading into Saturday, 15 August 2026, a 32-year-old woman from Cologne attended a cinema in Düsseldorf's Hafen district. After the film, she noticed that her car key was missing. She then observed unknown persons steering her car toward the underground garage exit with squealing tires, according to a police report. The woman attempted to prevent the theft by standing in the thieves' path. The thieves did not stop and instead continued driving, with the result that the 32-year-old was carried on the car's hood. After a few meters, as the vehicle turned, she fell from the hood onto the street and sustained minor injuries.
The crash in Oberbilk
Minutes later, the stolen car crashed into bollards and a switch box in the Oberbilk district, a few kilometers from the underground garage where the theft occurred. The impact damaged the roadside infrastructure and brought the vehicle to a halt. Police officers arrived at the scene and arrested a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old suspect on a nearby parking lot. Both were taken into custody as suspects in the incident.
- Woman notices car key missing after cinema visit in Hafen district, sees thieves driving her car toward garage exit
- Thieves drive off with woman on hood; she falls off while turning and sustains minor injuries
- Stolen car crashes into bollards and switch box in Oberbilk district
- Police arrest 16- and 19-year-old suspects on nearby parking lot
Investigation and prior police contact
Both suspects had already come to the attention of police on multiple prior occasions, authorities stated. They are now being investigated for robbery theft (räuberischer Diebstahl), a charge that reflects the use of force against the car owner during the commission of the theft. The 32-year-old woman sustained minor injuries when she fell from the moving vehicle as it turned a corner. The investigation is ongoing.
