Swiss teen detained in Romania after stealing car to find Dracula and become a vampire
<p>A 19-year-old Swiss national caused a major traffic incident near the Romanian town of Făgăraș on Tuesday, October 22. According to police reports, he stole a car and sped across two counties while under the influence of drugs and without a driver’s license, crashing into other cars. The driver, who was brandishing vampire-like teeth and said he was planning to meet Count Dracula in Romania, has been detained and will spend the next 30 days behind bars.</p>
<p>The police chased the young man for almost 100 km, after which he hit a car in a roundabout and then crashed into four more cars. Three people were injured and five cars were destroyed as a result. </p>
<p>Under custody, the 19-year-old told the officers that he had been in Romania for a short time and did not have money for a train ticket to Cluj.</p>
<p>"I want to go to Hoia Baciu for my great-great-great-grandfather, Count Dracula, Vlad Țepeș. I hope he can turn me into a vampire; I’ve dreamed of this all my life," he said, according to <a href="https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/evenimente/soferul-elvetian-autointitulat-nepotul-lui-dracula-a-fost-arestat-preventiv-s-a-indreptat-cu-viteza-de-160-180-printre-masini-2978717">Digi24</a>.</p>
<div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XnFWTlbz9hg?autoplay=1&amp;start=0&amp;rel=0"></iframe>
</div>

<p>A separate investigation is underway by the Sibiu Police Inspectorate after several drivers accused the police of using them as human shields to capture the individual.</p>
<p>"He was driving at a speed of 160-180 km/h between cars. We were pulled over to the side, but not even properly to the side; they didn’t leave the fast lane open for traffic. They just stopped traffic on both sides to use us as shields," one of the drivers said. </p>
<p>Authorities deny the allegations but say they will review the actions of the police officers. "Due to the presence of four police officers, all wearing specific traffic police protective gear, in a well-known area with frequent urban congestion, naturally, the speed of daily traffic flow was reduced, and participants’ perceptions may have been influenced by the ongoing event," stated Bogdan Maxim, the head of the Sibiu Traffic Service. </p>
<p>Police representatives also emphasized that the consequences of the crash were minimized by the way the officers intervened. He also mentioned that investigators collected footage from nearby businesses as well as from police body-cams, which will be analyzed.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Vlad Ispas/Dreamstime.com)</em></p>