The two guys who played a Hitler speech over the loudspeaker system in an ÖBB Railjet between St. Pölten and Vienna in May 2023 now had to answer in court because they continued to deceive the ÖBB afterwards. On the one hand, they swindled their way to hotel accommodation, and on the other hand, they hijacked an ÖBB railcar to pretend to be train drivers.
The incident on the ÖBB Railjet caused a great deal of media attention. The two boys had opened the intercom, which is found in every ÖBB train, with a special key that is usually only available to ÖBB staff. Instead of the usual on-board information, a Hitler speech suddenly rang out from the loudspeakers, which the boys played and accompanied with shouts of “Heil Hitler” and “Sieg Heil”.
No proceedings because of Hitler announcement
As they confessed to Nazi re-activation in the subsequent investigation – they were tracked down using images from surveillance cameras – and had had no previous criminal record, they were able to get off with a diversion. They agreed to complete the “Dialogue instead of hate” program at the Neustart association, and in return the Vienna public prosecutor’s office dropped the case on a diversionary basis. The two were spared a trial for the time being.
However, the ÖBB banned them from using the company’s premises and from entering the building, which hit the two hard, as they now freely admitted before single judge Katharina Adegbite-Lewy. “We are railway fans,” said the younger of the two, only 18 years old, who expressly regretted “that I didn’t start an apprenticeship at the ÖBB.” He met the co-defendant, a 21-year-old mechatronics engineer, on Instagram, who is also a fan of railways, locomotives and train connections. The older one immediately confirmed this.
Playing train driver in ÖBB shirts
On March 1, 2024, the two of them jumped onto a railcar at Leobersdorf station (Baden district) that was coupled to the end of an S-Bahn train to Vienna that was ready to depart. It was a class 1144 locomotive, as the defendants explained to the judge. It was something very special. “We just wanted to go to Vienna with this old locomotive. The Westbahn only has modern trains. They are not that interesting. I wanted to experience an old locomotive again,” said the 21-year-old.
The two pushed open the door of the locomotive, which was allegedly not locked, and thus gained access to the driver’s cab, engaged an additional brake and pressed a few buttons on the pneumatic frame. The train driver noticed this, however. When he wanted to start up the control car in the front part of the train, several warning lights came on. “I realized that something was wrong,” said the 34-year-old as a witness. He walked the entire train and then discovered the two defendants in the rear railcar: “They pretended to be train drivers. They were also wearing ÖBB shirts. When I asked for their ÖBB IDs, they accused me of not knowing what they were doing. These guys really got on my nerves.”
140 passengers had to disembark
Eventually the police were called. Since it could not be ruled out that the manipulations carried out by the defendants posed a safety risk, 140 passengers had to get off. The train was taken empty to Floridsdorf station and subjected to a safety check there. It then emerged that the defendants had not caused any damage, so they were acquitted of the charge of serious damage to property. “Their aim was to drive the locomotive, not to destroy it. In case of doubt, I cannot see any intent to cause damage,” the judge stated.
Hotel accommodation fraudulently obtained
However, the two were convicted of commercial fraud. The 18-year-old had cheated ÖBB to pay for seven overnight stays in hotels between December 6, 2023, and January 9, by using a false name to claim that he had missed connecting trains to Germany due to the weather and was now stuck in the snow without shelter. In one case, the 21-year-old was involved and was given a five-month suspended sentence.
The 18-year-old, who was still a juvenile at the time of the crime, got off without punishment so as not to jeopardize his professional future, as the judge explained. If he does not commit any offenses within the two-year probation period, the conviction will remain unpunished. This decision is not legally binding; the public prosecutor asked for time to consider it. Both boys will be assigned a probation officer.
“I will refrain from taking the train”
“I won’t do such stupid things again,” the 18-year-old promised the judge. The 21-year-old pointed out that he now has a driver’s license: “I drive a car now. I’m going to stop taking the train.”
The incidents in question were apparently only a fraction of what the two had recently been doing to keep the ÖBB busy or annoyed them. As a representative of the company explained as a witness, they were also reported after they had carried out ticket checks: “They pretend to be ÖBB employees, wear ÖBB shirts and carry the huge ÖBB key ring with them.” The witness suspected that the guys had obtained the items from online sales platforms. “They have also made 67 prank calls. They mock train attendants. They just won’t give up,” the ÖBB representative continued. The announcement with the Hitler speech was “the icing on the cake”: “But they have also played Chris Lohner’s speech in a distorted way.” The ÖBB is “mainly concerned that this finally stops.”
After the hearing ended, the 18-year-old walked down the corridor outside the courtroom straight to the ÖBB representative who works in the legal department: “Nice to finally meet you in person!” The boy noted that he had tried to contact her several times by phone. “Darling, if you call ten times in a row, I’ll stop answering,” the witness replied.
