E-scooter robbery in Vienna: 15-year-old is brutally attacked!

E-scooter robbery in Vienna: 15-year-old is brutally attacked!

On Saturday afternoon in Vienna-Brigittenau there was a trifecta of youthful relaxation and a shocking incident: a 15-year-old became the victim of an e-scooter theft. The young person, who had previously been happily riding his new e-scooter worth over 900 euros on Leipziger Platz, was suddenly confronted with a group of young people who asked him about his driving skills. But the friendly banter quickly took a different turn.

A boy in the group borrowed the e-scooter and did a few laps before the mood changed. The group had barely moved on towards Brigittapark when the 15-year-old was verbally attacked. A teenager suddenly hit him in the face, causing him to let go of the e-scooter. In no time, the suspected thief grabbed the e-scooter and fled, while the other young people also ran away. The police were immediately notified and launched a search.

Rapid deployment of the police

By chance, the emergency services at Leipziger Platz first noticed the escape and were able to arrest the suspected thief. The 15-year-old, who is a Swedish citizen, initially denied any involvement in the attack. But the e-scooter was identified and returned using a serial number stored in the victim's cell phone. The Vienna public prosecutor's office decided to report him on suspicion of robbery while he was at large.

The current situation highlights a growing problem: According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, no fewer than 3,233 property crimes were registered in Austria in connection with e-scooters in 2023. Over 1,500 e-scooters fell victim to simple theft, while in almost 1,500 other cases e-scooters were stolen from secured or locked rooms. The theft statistics clearly show that e-scooters are a popular target for criminals due to their frequent parking in public spaces.

Theft prevention in focus

Experts recommend a combination of different security mechanisms to minimize the risk of theft. Dr. Armin Kaltenegger, from the Board of Trustees for Road Safety, points out that simple locks are easy to break - a test showed that children could open a lock in just six seconds. The use of smart locks and GPS tracking systems is therefore strongly recommended.

• Kombination von Sicherheitsmechanismen (z.B. Bügelschloss und Bremsscheibenschloss).
• Verwendung smarter Schlösser und GPS-Tracking-Systeme.
• Notieren der Seriennummer und Merkmale des Scooters.
• Sicherung teurer Komponenten nach dem Abstellen.
• Abstellen in versperrten Räumen oder an fix verankerten Orten im Freien.

However, the challenges are not limited to thefts: in 2023, the number of e-scooter accidents in Austria also increased by 14.1% to 9,425. This shows how important it is to ensure safety both in terms of theft and in traffic itself. A majority of these accidents affected users under the age of 25. Statistics show that not enough caution is exercised, especially in urban areas where 60% of accidents occur.

An e-scooter can be a lot of fun, but extreme caution is required, especially for younger users. Stay safe and protect your e-scooter well so that incidents like this don't become a habit!

For further information on theft prevention and security mechanisms, visit Federal Criminal Police Office.

For more news about e-scooter robberies and road safety, check out heute.at and destatis.de.