Polish Soldier Shoots Civilian Car On New Year’s Day
Tragic scenes took place in Eastern Poland at the beginning of 2025. On New Year’s Day, an unnamed member of the 18th Mechanized Division left his unit armed with an automatic rifle and ammunition on New Year’s day without informing superiors of his motives and whereabouts. Heavily intoxicated with alcohol, the soldier moved on foot to the nearby town of Mielnik. On the afternoon of 1 January, he encountered a single civilian car which he tried to stop by pointing the rifle at it.
The vehicle stopped as the soldier pointed his weapon upwards and shot several rounds into the air. The passenger of the vehicle, a 13-year-old girl, left the car in a hurry while the driver, her father, moved forward to pass the shooter. The soldier managed to change his magazine and shoot the car effectively emptying his magazine on the vehicle. One of the bullets hit the passenger seat previously occupied by the teenager.
As chaos erupted, the soldier left the site and proceeded to escape into a dense forest on foot. In an immediate reaction of the local unit, other service members conducted a search. The perpetrator was caught in hiding within hours of his performing his drunken shooting spree.
The 24-year-old shooter, a member of the 18th Mechanized Division, has been on his border service duties since December 2024. He enrolled in volunteer military service in April 2024. No clear motives for his actions have been established besides high intoxication with alcohol.
The incident is currently under investigation by Military Police and is overseen by the prosecutors’ office. The soldier will most probably hear criminal charges of attempted murder under Article 148 § 1 in conjunction with Article 13 § 1 of the Polish penal code. He may face a minimum of 15 years of imprisonment. The prosecutor’s office spokesman noted that additional charges may be pressed against the soldier as his actions met the characteristics of several criminal acts.