East Jerusalem Man Injures Four in Modified BMW Crash in Northern Israel

A 20-year-old resident of Silwan, East Jerusalem, injured four family members in Beit She'an on Friday after losing control of his heavily modified BMW. The car had illegal mechanical upgrades, including an altered exhaust system allowing higher speeds. The driver collided head-on with a family vehicle carrying a 63-year-old woman, her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, some of whom were seriously hurt and remain hospitalized.

The accident occurred after the driver exited a traffic circle and struck the oncoming car. The incident was captured on security cameras. Police found the BMW without license plates, which the driver had removed before their arrival. The driver was arrested, his license was suspended for 60 days, but he was released by court order on Saturday night while the victims were still in hospital.

Traffic officer Lt. Col. Leyad Herzog, who investigated the crash, noted the severity of the collision and the illegal vehicle modifications. He said the driver likely lost control due to excessive speed enabled by the car's upgrades. The crash was described as a serious high-speed head-on collision, with the fortunate outcome that no fatalities occurred.