A1 Drunk Driving Suspect Rearrested Following Prosecutor General Intervention

Following nationwide outrage over the release of a heavily intoxicated repeat offender on the A1 motorway, the Częstochowa Regional Prosecutor’s office has detained the 36-year-old suspect for formal questioning.

Częstochowa Regional Prosecutor’s Office Takes Over Investigation

The Częstochowa Regional Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation—taken over from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lubliniec—regarding the creation of direct danger of a land traffic disaster on July 18, 2026, on the A1 motorway, the violation of judicial bans on driving mechanical vehicles, and driving a vehicle while intoxicated.

On July 22, by order of the prosecutor, police detained a 36-year-old man in this case to serve him with a decision on presenting charges for committing a crime and to question him as a suspect. Activities involving the detainee are scheduled for July 23, prosecutor Tomasz Ozimek, press spokesperson for the Częstochowa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, reported that morning.

Civilians Detain Intoxicated Driver on A1 Motorway

On Saturday, July 18, after 7:00 PM on the A1 motorway between the Pyrzowice and Woźniki junctions, on the northbound lane, a citizen’s arrest of a drunk driver took place. TVN24 journalists traveling to Częstochowa saw a passenger car driving erratically in front of them, failing to stay in its lane. At one point, its driver allegedly hit a truck and, after stopping, tried to switch places with the passenger. The journalists called the police.

The man was reportedly aggressive, insulting the people guarding him—the journalists as well as other drivers who stopped—until the patrol arrived. The man had 2.7 permille of alcohol in his breath, as well as two active judicial bans on driving mechanical vehicles and a decision from the Pabianice county head revoking his driving privileges. He was taken to the police station in Woźniki near Lubliniec. The District Prosecutor’s Office in Lubliniec did not request an arrest.

A person under the influence of alcohol cannot be questioned or charged. The period of detention in police custody was expiring on Monday. Meanwhile, the prosecutor ordered the drunk driver to be released home.

Prosecutor General Intervenes and Officials Disciplined

Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek reacted to the case, instructing National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk to intervene. As a result, a decision will be made to dismiss the deputy District Prosecutor in Lubliniec.

His duties included supervising the activities of prosecutors on duty at this prosecutor’s unit. At the same time, the proceedings will be handed over for further conduct by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Częstochowa, prosecutor Anna Adamiak, press spokesperson for the Prosecutor General, explained on July 21.

In addition, the Częstochowa Regional Prosecutor’s Office ordered the initiation of disciplinary proceedings aimed at assessing the correctness of the decision issued by the prosecutor on duty during consultations with police officers in this case.