Gardaí have suspended a trainee officer after his car was discovered abandoned on a major motorway – and he was later found in a ditch nearby.
We have also learned that Gardaí are conducting their own investigation into the matter and have notified the independent watchdog Fiosrú, reports The Mirror.
“We are trying to get to the bottom of the whole thing,” a source told us,
The force confirmed it contacted Fiosrú because it considered the incident a matter of concern. It has also emerged that the probationer garda was off duty at the time of the event, reports The Mirror.
The trainee officer has since been suspended following the incident on the M1 near Drogheda in Co Louth in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The situation unfolded when Gardaí received a report early Saturday that a car had been left abandoned in an active driving lane on the northbound M1, close to a Drogheda exit, reports The Mirror.
When officers arrived, they discovered the vehicle but found no one inside.
It is understood firefighters were then called to assist Gardaí at the scene, and a wider search of the area was carried out, reports The Mirror.
Sources said firefighters used a thermal imaging camera during the search and located the off-duty probationer – who is normally based in a different district – lying in a ditch roughly 100 metres away.
He was transported to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital for treatment for non–life-threatening injuries, though he later discharged himself, reports The Mirror.
Gardaí have since determined that the officer’s private car had been involved in a collision with another vehicle at the location.
It is believed the other motorist continued driving and later exited the motorway nearby, reports The Mirror.
Gardaí are now investigating the circumstances of the incident and are working to establish precisely what occurred.
It said in a statement: “Gardaí are investigating a two-vehicle road traffic collision that occurred on the M1 Northbound near Drogheda, Co. Louth at approximately 2:00am on Saturday, 22nd November 2025. A male aged in his 30s was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A member of An Garda Síochána has been placed on suspension in connection with this investigation. In accordance with Section 204 of the PSCS Act, An Garda Síochána has notified Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, of this matter as an incident of concern,” reports Breaking News.
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