60-Year-Old Farmer Destroys Newly Paved Road Worth 400,000 PLN with Tractor in Gliwice

A sober 60-year-old farmer was arrested by police in Gliwice after intentionally destroying nearly 200 meters of newly laid asphalt with a tractor and plow, claiming he owned the road.

Tractor Attack on Newly Paved Road

On Friday around 3:00 PM, a 60-year-old farmer intentionally drove a Ursus tractor onto freshly laid asphalt and used a plow to damage nearly 200 meters of the roadway. A farmer plowed the asphalt, with damages estimated at hundreds of thousands of złoty.

Superintendent Marzena Szwed from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gliwice informed the Polish Press Agency that the man claimed he owned the road and that the work being done there was illegal. During the intervention, he also reportedly threatened to damage the surface again after the police left.

Police Intervention and Construction Workers’ Action

Construction workers prevented further damage to the road by positioning construction machines in a way that made it impossible for him to continue driving. A recording of the incident was published on social media.

The farmer was arrested by police and, according to services, was sober. The vehicle, which lacked mandatory third-party liability insurance, was towed to a police parking lot.

Legal Consequences and Formal Delays

The man was scheduled to be interrogated on Saturday afternoon, but officers stated that the proceedings were postponed to Sunday, August 9, due to formal reasons. Prosecutor Miłosz Żymełka from the Gliwice-Zachód District Prosecutor’s Office stated on Saturday that the farmer may face charges of property destruction of significant value, which carries a penalty of 1 to 10 years in prison.

City Officials Dispute Ownership Claims

The Municipal Road Administration preliminarily estimated the losses at approximately 400,000 PLN, an amount that includes damage to both the asphalt itself and the road subgrade. The Mayor of Gliwice denied that the road belongs, even in part, to any entity other than the municipality, adding that this is not the first time the man has destroyed public property.

In a statement, the Municipal Road Administration in Gliwice wrote that the road belongs entirely to the City of Gliwice, is not private, and no part belongs to a private individual. They added that suggestions of a private owner’s lack of consent affecting the renovation or asphalt surface execution are also untrue.

History of Conflict and Previous Vandalism

The local portal Twojemedia.tv spoke with an eyewitness who described the farmer as a “very conflict-prone” person who had even made threats against neighbors.

Several years ago, the man also reportedly disrupted the beginning of the Rybackija Street renovation. District Chairman Łukasz Wieczorek told the portal that the man took hammers and smashed curbs, greatly complicating those works.