Two-county car chase ends after young fugitives tried to swim across river Boyne

The Sunday afternoon peace of a number of villages was shattered as a car careered through at breakneck speed before eventually being forced to a stop after mounting a pavement.

The sensational scene concluded in the river bank in Trim county Meath after the chase had initially begun in the Blanchardstown area of Dublin.

Gardai in the Meath town were alerted that the dangerous duo were headed their way and then told of a car driving dangerously on the Dublin Road from Trim having been observed speeding though the quiet village of Batterstown..

An onlooker told the Sunday World: “The two of them in the car were just kids really, if they were teenagers they were barely teenagers, and they managed to avoid the first attempt to stop them.

“They mounted a pavement and drove directly at a family out for a Sunday stroll who had to kind of dive out of the way.

“They flattened three of the four tyres when they went up on the pavement and when they realised they couldn't drive any further they jumped out and as cops chased them they jumped into the Boyne and began swimming across it.

“The guards just radioed for assistance and had colleagues waiting to pick them up when they got out.

“It sounds like a funny incident but it was anything but, the Garda car chasing them seemed to be damaged, a family had a lucky escape and the swell on the Boyne meant it was very treacherous so they were fortunate they didn't drown.

“They were fairly wet and bedraggled when they got out. Where they went in was right beside Trim Castle where Braveheart was filmed, and while they were no Mel Gibson they did behave like two professional stuntmen.”

A Garda spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying: “Gardaí in Trim were alerted to a car driving dangerously on the Dublin Road, Trim on Sunday afternoon 3rd July, 2022 at approximately 4pm.

“The car failed to stop for Gardaí and it finally came to a stop on the river bank and two youths tried to evade Gardaí and jumped into the river.

“They were later arrested and conveyed to Trim Garda station where they were detained under Section 4 of Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

“Both male youths (early teens) were released into the custody of their parents and a file will be forwarded to the Youth Referral Programme.”