Wuppertal: A Night of Hit-and-Runs, Stolen Cars, and a Lamp Post
Ah, Wuppertal! You’d think a Saturday night would be quiet, and then chaos erupts, not once but several times. We’re not just talking about a few dents here – this was the kind of night that even made the patrol officers stop and stare. Within just a few hours, there was a hit-and-run, a stolen car, and a lamppost that never stood a chance.
Stolen Car Crashes into a Lamp Post
Let’s start in the city centre. The Bergische Universität Wuppertal is usually peaceful when the lecture halls are empty. But nearby, on the way to the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal GmbH – a place where concert-goers in bow ties normally stroll in – a bizarre incident unfolded early in the evening. A 55-year-old man was clearly under the influence, but that was the least of his worries. He got into a car that wasn’t his. Stolen, the whole deal.
The man took off, but the joyride ended exactly as you’d expect: with a loud crash into a lamppost. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the stolen car was written off, and he’s now facing charges for theft and hit-and-run. I’m surprised he even got as far as he did. But the night in our city had more in store.
Hit-and-Run at Sonnborner Ufer
While the 55-year-old was being held in custody, things were kicking off at Sonnborner Ufer. There was a crash there that came a little too close to being a catastrophe. A car ploughed into a lamppost – but that’s only half the story.
From what we hear, the driver had been causing havoc beforehand. A hit-and-run after a first crash, and then, while fleeing, the second smash-up. Thankfully, no one’s life was in danger, but the force of the impact was massive. Anyone who does something like that has either nothing left to lose or is living in a complete fantasy. The Sonnborner Ufer was closed off for recovery and accident investigation. If you needed to go that way, you were out of luck.
- What we know: A 55-year-old man, who had been drinking, steals a car and ends up crashing into a lamppost (near the university/concert hall).
- What else we know: Another driver goes on a one-man rampage, crashes and flees, only to smash up again shortly after at Sonnborner Ufer.
- Where the disruptions were: There were closures around the CinemaxX Wuppertal and the Stadthalle, as well as in the area of Sonnborner Ufer.
Just Wuppertal Showing Its True Colours Again
I’ve lived here for over twenty years now, and nights like this happen every so often. Normally, the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal GmbH is the hotspot for culture, but this time it was unfortunately the hotspot for a wild chase. Just picture it: someone steals a car, drives through the city, past the CinemaxX Wuppertal where people are just trying to go to the cinema, and then slams into a pole.
The local radio crew had their hands full keeping everyone updated. And the emergency services? They ended up dealing with two crash scenes, which, while unrelated, both sent the same message: if you drink and drive, or think you can just flee the scene, you’ve got a screw loose. It’s a genuine miracle that there were no fatalities in either case.
All we can do is hope next week in Wuppertal is a bit calmer. But honestly? It’s never boring here. And in a way, that’s what we love about this city between the suspension railway and the hills. Even if I could happily do without headlines like these.