A 25-year-old man has been arrested in the Republic following a search for a car which was stolen in Belfast with a 17-year-old girl inside.
Police in Northern Ireland received a report on Saturday that a vehicle which had been parked in the Botanic Avenue area of South Belfast had been stolen with the teenager in the car.
Detective Sergeant McVeagh said: “The car stopped on the Saintfield Road, Lisburn, where the girl escaped from the vehicle.
“The car was observed a short time later driving at speeds in excess of 100mph on the A1 and officers made contact with our colleagues in An Garda Siochana (AGS) to inform them the vehicle was driving towards the border.”
The car was later located in the Newry Road in Dundalk and gardai arrested a 25-year-old man nearby.
Det Sgt McVeagh added: “At around 2.20am on Saturday, we received a report from AGS to say they had located the stolen car and had arrested a 25-year-old man in Dundalk, he remains in custody at this stage.
“The victim was not injured but left shaken by her ordeal. Thankfully, we are not dealing with any casualties after some very dangerous and reckless behaviour by the suspect involved.
“Excellent co-operative work between ourselves and our colleagues in the An Garda Siochana have ensured this vehicle was recovered and the suspect was arrested.”
A spokesman for An Garda Siochana said the man is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in Co Louth.
“The vehicle was seized by Gardai and removed for technical examination. Investigations are ongoing.”
