The super teenager from Vienna committed 1,200 crimes before turning 14!
Vienna is experiencing a real shock due to a sharp rise in crimes committed by children and teenagers, with "Milan" (a pseudonym), a 14-year-old teenager, taking center stage after his crime tally reached 1,200 before he became legally eligible for criminal accountability after his last birthday in March.
Official data shows that the number of cases registered against children aged between 10 and 14 has nearly doubled over five years, with 12,049 cases recorded in 2024, of which at least 48% involve foreign children, many of whom are from Syria.
Vienna, especially during election times, is witnessing a heated debate about this phenomenon. In 2010, 1,419 law-breaking children were recorded in this age group, while the number rose to 5,066 children in 2024. A large part of this increase is attributed to what is known as "repeat offenders," a small but highly dangerous group.
According to the police, there are nearly 220 children, each of whom has committed at least five crimes including theft, robbery, threats, or even carjacking and driving at high speeds until accidents occur. There are about 40 children who have committed up to 50 crimes each, while three of them have exceeded the threshold of 1,000 crimes, according to statements from Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig, who called for "immediate removal from the streets" and changes in laws to prevent such behavior from continuing.
Among these three, "Milan" comes first. He grew up in difficult family circumstances and currently lives in a care center run by MA 11 in the Meidling area. He has formed a gang known as "Gemma TX," which specializes in breaking into taxis and shops using emergency tools.
Milan became famous for his nighttime antics, as he would go out every evening to commit new crimes, while the supervisors at the center were not allowed to close the guests' rooms according to current law. He also frequently skipped school, and his latest adventure was stealing a 400-horsepower Dodge RAM truck with a 13-year-old partner, causing four traffic accidents in the morning in the middle of Vienna.
On March 23, Milan turned 14, and according to security sources, he was immediately placed in pre-trial detention (U-Haft), and since then he has disappeared from the scene, either because he was convicted and imprisoned or realized that he was fully under the law. "Since his detention, no new crimes have been recorded in his name," a security source confirms.
The case raises significant questions about the effectiveness of juvenile protection laws, the role of care centers, and how to deal with what are called "young delinquents" who pose a real threat to public safety, while still being under the legal age.