After a six-year manhunt, Czech police finally apprehended the so-called “Ghost Driver,” who has repeatedly evaded capture since 2019 while committing traffic violations in a Ferrari-like race car on public roads.
The breakthrough came on Sunday when police received reports of the red race car speeding along the D4 highway, stopping briefly to refuel. Authorities later located the vehicle in a garage in Buk, a village about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Prague, where they found a 51-year-old man dressed in red Formula 1 gear and a helmet.
'Ghost driver' driving in Czech Republic
Video footage of the arrest shows the man attempting to dismiss the officers, claiming they were trespassing on private property. He eventually complied, accompanying them to the station for questioning while still in his racing attire but refused to answer questions. His son denied the allegations to Czech media, saying, “The police claimed they saw us with a Formula 1 car speeding on the road minutes earlier. We know nothing about that, of course.”
The suspect’s identity remains unconfirmed, as his helmet obscured his face in videos and photos over the years, complicating efforts to verify if he is the same individual questioned once in 2019, when the vehicle’s owner denied driving it on public roads.
Despite media descriptions of the vehicle as a Ferrari, police clarified it is a Dallara GP2/08 race car, which is prohibited on public roads due to its lack of license plates, headlights and compliance with technical and legal standards.
If convicted, the driver faces a fine of several thousand Czech koruna and possible license suspension. The case, which has captivated public attention since the first sightings in 2019, underscores the challenges of enforcing traffic laws against elusive offenders using non-standard vehicles.