Mystery tram thief escapes justice after 13 years in Ukraine
A Ukrainian court has closed a 13-year-old investigation into the theft of a tram in the western city of Lviv after police failed to identify the person who stole it, crashed it into a building and fled.
The incident took place on March 1, 2013, when an unidentified person broke a window at a tram depot and took a vehicle normally used on Route 5, according to local outlet Lviv.Media.
The stolen tram derailed at high speed at an intersection and crashed into a building. No one was injured.
Witnesses helped the person behind the controls out of the wreckage, apparently believing he was the tram's regular driver. He then fled the scene.
Investigators examined the tram and crash site, questioned nine witnesses and obtained an expert report. But despite more than 13 years of investigation, they never established the suspect's identity.
On October 22, 2026, a district court in Lviv granted a prosecutor's request to close the case because the statute of limitations had expired.
The tram thief remains unidentified.