In brief
A 40-year-old Hungarian man turned a routine smoking break into a high-stakes escapade when he clung to the outside of a German ICE train, narrowly escaping serious injury.
A shocking incident occurred recently when a man, who had boarded the ICE high-speed train in Munich, accidentally found himself on the outside of the train after lingering too long for a smoke break in Ingolstadt. According to police reports, the man was not in possession of a valid ticket and, in a panic over missing the train, decided to jump onto a bracket between two carriages as the train departed for Nuremberg.With speeds reaching a staggering 282 km/h (175 mph), the daredevil endured a terrifying journey for about 30 kilometers. Alerted passengers notified authorities, who subsequently contacted the train driver to make an emergency stop at Kinding in Upper Bavaria. The train was en route to Lübeck, marking a six-hour journey.The man explained to police that he had left his luggage aboard and was unwilling to part from it during the unexpected adventure. Surprisingly unharmed, he was located by a police officer traveling on the train and was escorted back on board before being handed over to federal police at Nuremberg central station.Authorities have now launched an investigation into the man's actions, which could lead to charges of benefit fraud and disruptive conduct, classified as a minor administrative offense. Federal police are urging the public to consider their safety and to avoid taking such reckless chances on Germany's extensive train system.
