World · Europe · 3 hrs ago
Man uses excavator to smash into family home in Mörlenbach
A 44-year-old man drove an excavator into a house on Sunday morning in Bonsweiher, a district of Mörlenbach in the German state of Hesse.
The house belonged to a family, who escaped without injuries as part of the facade collapsed and furniture was thrown outside.
The man came from the neighbourhood and was arrested at the scene and taken to a psychiatric clinic because of his health.
Residents said he had earlier asked them to switch off radiation that he believed was hitting his home; the reason for the attack remains unclear.
The building was badly damaged and the family cannot stay there for now.
A structural engineer is to check whether the house is safe, while police investigate the damage and work to establish how the man got the excavator.
A 44-year-old man used an excavator to heavily damage a family home in Mörlenbach-Bonsweiher, Germany, on Sunday morning.
The family was inside but escaped and no one was injured.
The excavator bucket broke through a wall, causing part of the facade to collapse and furniture to fall into the garden.
Police arrested the man at the scene and took him to a psychiatric clinic.
The home was secured, and a structural engineer was to assess whether it was safe to occupy.
- Who
- A 44-year-old man from the neighborhood allegedly damaged the home. The family inside escaped unharmed.
- What
- The man rammed an excavator bucket into the house wall, causing heavy damage.
- When
- Sunday morning, October 18, 2026, at about 9:40 a.m.
- Where
- Bonsweiher, a district of Mörlenbach in Hesse, Germany.
- Why
- The reason remains unclear. Residents said the man had earlier complained about radiation hitting his home.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The residents said the man knocked at their door and demanded that they switch off radiation he claimed was hitting his home.
A resident called police after seeing the excavator hit the house wall.
Police arrested the 44-year-old at the scene and took him to a psychiatric clinic.
The Technical Relief Agency secured the house, and a structural engineer was to assess its stability.
- Suspect
- 44-year-old man from the neighborhood
- Location
- Bonsweiher, Mörlenbach, Hesse
- Police call
- About 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, October 18, 2026
- Injuries
- No injuries reported
- Damage
- The facade partly collapsed; the damage cost was not yet known
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What people are saying
Wie sich herausstellte, rammte tatsächlich ein 44 Jahre alter Tatverdächtiger die Baggerschaufel in die Hauswand und verursachte hierbei erheblichen Schaden an dem Gebäude.