E-scooter theft in Vienna: Brave owner defends himself against attackers!

E-scooter theft in Vienna: Brave owner defends himself against attackers!

On Tuesday, May 28, 2025, a 20-year-old man was observed in Vienna-Leopoldstadt in theft of an e-scooter. The e-scooter was parked in front of a bank branch and the owner, a 40-year-old man, was among the several passers-by who followed the incident. When the e-scooter owner confronted the alleged thief, he attacked him with blows and kicks. As a result of the attack, the 40-year-old suffered injuries to the upper body and on the leg. The Praterstern police inspection quickly arrived at the scene and was able to arrest the 20-year-old suspect. During the investigation, it turned out that the thief had also stolen a bicycle saddle and tried to open a bicycle lock. In addition, five original packaged perfumes were ensured by him, which is why he is currently custody in the police and the investigation is continuously carried out, as [vienna.at] (https://www.vienna.at/e-scooter-beser-von-masseme- dieb-tack.

The security of e-scooters is a growing problem today. In 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office in Austria registered a total of 3,233 property offenses in connection with e-scooters. More than 1,500 e-scooters fell victim to simple theft. Theft risks are particularly high in the city, since many e-scooters are often unattended in public space. Dr. Armin Kaltenegger from the Board of Trustees (KFV) points out that simple locks are easy to crack. To minimize the risk, he recommends the combination of several security mechanisms such as ironing locks and brake disc locks. Smart castles and GPS tracking systems are becoming increasingly important for the security of e-scooters, according to the explanations on bundeskriminalamt.at.

additional incidents in Vienna

Another incident shows the urgency of this topic. On May 16, 2025, a 34-year-old man managed to follow the theft of his e-scooter, who was stolen on Mariahilfer Strasse. After tracking the e-scooter to an apartment in the Landstrasse district, he informed the Fiakerplatz police inspection. The door to the apartment was not opened at first, but ultimately you opened before the Wega (special unit of the police) had to intervene. The officers met three Slovak citizens: a 50-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man and a 48-year-old man. During the search, the police found several objects, including three e-scooters, a high-quality racing bike and a silver ring with diamonds. The two men were fundamentally confessed, the woman only admitted the possession of addictive substances. Against the 48-year-old man, the Vienna public prosecutor's office ordered the delivery to a judiciary, while the other two were reported on the freely, according to [5min.at] (https://www.5min.at/5202505161457/wega-Einze- after-E-scooter-diebl-in-wien/).

These incidents underline the increasing need for e-scooter owners to inform themselves about effective security measures and actively use them to protect their vehicles from theft.