Crime wave hits Vogelsberg as thefts and vandalism surge in one week
A series of thefts and acts of vandalism have struck the Vogelsberg district over the past week. Between March 12 and March 15, incidents included stolen vehicles, fuel thefts, and damage to election campaign materials.
Police are now investigating each case, with several reports filed across Lauterbach, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Ulrichstein, and Schlitz.
The first incident occurred in Marburg-Biedenkopf on March 12 between 1:50 a.m. and 2:05 a.m. Unknown individuals broke into vacuum machines at a petrol station on Krummbogen street. The thieves stole an unknown amount of coin money before fleeing.
In Lauterbach on March 13, two election posters were deliberately vandalised. Later that same day, more posters were torn down and discarded into a nearby river. Authorities have yet to identify suspects. That evening, between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., a Volkswagen convertible parked on Schaubstraße in Ulrichstein was targeted. Thieves removed its licence plates, registered as 'VB-D 199'. Overnight into March 14, a gray Toyota Land Cruiser worth around €63,000 was stolen in Schlitz. The vehicle was taken between 12:15 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. from its parking spot. Between 8:00 a.m. on March 14 and 9:00 a.m. on March 15, several hundred litres of diesel fuel were stolen from a tractor-trailer at the Hegberg rest area on the A5 motorway. A similar theft occurred at the Eifa service area, where hundreds of litres of diesel were taken from a white semi-truck overnight into March 15.
Local police are reviewing surveillance footage and gathering witness statements where possible. The stolen Land Cruiser, licence plates, and fuel remain unrecovered, while the cost of damages to election materials and vacuum machines is still being assessed. Investigations into all incidents are ongoing.
