# Boy, 14, escapes Dutch institution and crashes van near Antwerp

> A 14-year-old who had left an institution in the Netherlands caused a head-on crash near Antwerp on Tuesday afternoon that injured three people, local police and the East Flanders prosecutor's office confirmed.

News · published 2026-10-21 21:08 · https://nlnow.nl/a/boy-14-escapes-groningen-institution-and-crashes-van-in-belgium/

A 14-year-old boy driving a white van with Dutch plates caused a crash in Burcht, near Antwerp, on Tuesday afternoon. Local police and the East Flanders prosecutor's office confirmed that he had escaped from an institution in the Netherlands.

Three people were injured: the boy and the two occupants of the car the van hit head-on. Five vehicles were involved in total. The boy was taken to hospital under police escort.

Witnesses said the van drove at high speed, weaving through busy traffic, before the collision.

Police carried out breath and saliva tests on the boy. Both were negative.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/