A 25-year-old man, Faraz A., killed a woman in an illegal street race and has been sentenced to life in prison for the offense.
The race occured on the morning of July 19, 2024, and resulted in the death of 22-year-old Janine W.
During a dangerous overtaking maneuver, Faraz A.’s BMW collided head-on with Janine W.’s vehicle. Janine W. was on her way to work when the accident occurred on a blind curve in Oppurg. Despite the woman braking, she had no chance of avoiding the impact.
The Gera public prosecutor’s office initially estimated A.’s speed at 140 to 170 kilometers per hour, but later determined it was around 90 kilometers per hour at the time of the crash, according to Bild newspaper.
Faraz A. and a work colleague began their illegal street race right after Faraz got off of work on the night shift at a pallet manufacturer in Thuringia’s Saale-Orla district.
The judges sided with the prosecution, concluding that Faraz A. acted intentionally and knowingly accepted the “death of a random victim.”
The prosecutor argued that A. was aware neither he nor oncoming traffic in the dip could have prevented an accident.
Janine W.’s parents attended the trial as joint plaintiffs. Faraz A.’s passenger also suffered serious injuries in the collision.
A.’s defense attorney argued for negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm, and A. repeatedly expressed remorse throughout the approximately six-week trial. However, witnesses consistently testified about his reckless driving history, despite him having held a driver’s license for only a year.
Illegal street races plague Germany, with many of the suspects described as young migrant males.
In 2020, a young Polish mother and her daughter were left in critical condition in Berlin after such a race. That same year, a Syrian hit and killed a 6-year-old boy during an illegal street race in Dresden. However, there are many such cases that Remix News has not covered.
In 2019, Berlin prosecutor at the time, Andreas Winkelmann, was interviewed by Welt after a deadly illegal street race and the introduction of a new law to combat the growing wave of such deadly accidents.
“Most of the perpetrators are male, in their early 20s, and have a migration background,” he said.
Five years later, Faraz A. fits this description to a tee.