Stock image: PA
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Dundalk, Co Louth after gardaà received a reports he had crossed the border in a vehicle he stole in Northern Ireland, with a teenage girl inside.
Gardaà were alerted by the PSNI to a car that had been stolen in Belfast crossing the border on the N1 southbound.
Police in Northern Ireland received a report on Saturday that a vehicle which had been parked in the Botanic Avenue area of South Belfast had been stolen with a female passenger, understood to be aged 17, still in the car.
Detective Sergeant McVeagh said: “The car stopped on the Saintfield Road, Lisburn, where the girl escaped from the vehicle.
“The car was observed a short time later driving at speeds in excess of 100mph on the A1 and officers made contact with our colleagues in An Garda Siochana (AGS) to inform them the vehicle was driving towards the border.”
The car was located on the Newry Road in Dundalk and the man was arrested at a nearby location in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Det Sgt McVeagh added: “At around 2.20am on Saturday, we received a report from AGS to say they had located the stolen car and had arrested a 25-year-old man in Dundalk, he remains in custody at this stage.
“The victim was not injured but left shaken by her ordeal. Thankfully, we are not dealing with any casualties after some very dangerous and reckless behaviour by the suspect involved.
“Excellent co-operative work between ourselves and our colleagues in the An Garda Siochana have ensured this vehicle was recovered and the suspect was arrested.”
The man is being held at a garda station in Co Louth under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
A technical examination is being carried out on the vehicle seized by gardaÃ. Investigations are ongoing.
