A ‘drunk’ German tourist has been arrested on holiday in Majorca after he stole a bulldozer worth £295,000 (350k euros), which he ended up crashing.
The 26-year-old narrowly escaped death when he overturned the 25-tonne vehicle on the edge of a steep drop at the quarry he had broken into near his hotel in the party resort of S’Arenal, close to the island’s capital, Palma.
After the crash, he ran to a nearby house covered in blood to seek help. The owners of the quarry have declared the bulldozer a complete write off and are pressing charges against the holidaymaker.
Police sources revealed today that he was fortunate to be alive as the vehicle overturned right next to a 30ft drop.
The shocking incident occurred around 7.30pm on Sunday and follows recent reports that Germans, who flock to parts of Playa de Palma including S’Arenal on its eastern end, are now the most troublesome tourists in Majorca, surpassing the ill-behaved Brits in Magaluf.
The privately-owned quarry had been closed since 1pm Saturday.
It remains unclear what the unnamed German was planning to do with the bulldozer, a W270 Fiat Hitachi, although sources suggest he might have intended to drive it back to his hotel as a prank.
Officers could not confirm local reports that the holidaymaker was drunk during his reckless stunt, but sources on the island indicated he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
A spokesman for the National Police in Majorca, confirming the arrest, said: “National Police officers in Palma have detained a 26-year-old German for entering a quarry and driving a bulldozer he ended up overturning, causing considerable damage to it and suffering injuries himself.
“The incident happened around 7.30pm on Sunday in Playa de Palma.
“The man who ended up being arrested went to a private home for help saying he’d jumped over the quarry perimeter fence and taken the bulldozer before crashing it.
“The quarry owner was also in that property when the police arrived and responded by calling for an ambulance so they could tend to the injured tourist before he was arrested.”
The firm the heavy machinery belonged to says it is going to have to buy a replacement, and the cost of it being out of service has been put at around £8,500 (10,000 euros) a day. A fuel leak caused by the crash also had to be cleaned up.
One insider said: “Whatever the tourist was intending to do, it’s going to cost him a small fortune.”
The German has already appeared before a judge, although it was not immediately clear the outcome of today’s hearing.
It comes after eight British tourists on a stag do were arrested over a punch-up on a beach in Majorca late last month. They were ordered to hand over £850 each to recover their passports in anticipation of the compensation they might have to pay if they end up being convicted of any wrongdoing.
Among the detainees were 29-year-old construction boss and groom, Connor Lorimer, and his best man. They, along with six friends, spent two nights in a police cell before being bailed by a judge who ordered them to pay £850 to retrieve their passports.
The investigation into the incident, which took place on May 29 at the upscale Balneario Illetas beach club near Palma, is ongoing. The Brits were released in time to celebrate ‘Wedding Part 2’ at Es Riquers Rural Hotel in Llucmajor.
This Majorcan celebration followed Connor’s legal wedding to his 29-year-old wife Lauren in a UK registry office in April. So far this year, two German tourists have tragically fallen to their deaths at Playa de Palma, east of the island capital.
Recently, the area has been making headlines due to unruly Germans rather than Magaluf, which is more popular with Brits. Last month, riot police had to use rubber bullets to disperse a group of rowdy German football hooligans.
Such behaviour from holidaymakers has contributed to growing anti-mass tourism protests in places like Majorca and Ibiza.