The suspect was arrested by officers from the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office. According to information from Tuesday, he was accused of crimes in Schwechat (Bruck ad Leitha district), Vienna-Penzing and Parndorf (Neusiedl am See district). The man mostly confessed. The investigators do not rule out that there are other victims.
Threatened the victim with a knife
According to the police, the 49-year-old Slovakian citizen Jaroslav Z., who had previously been convicted of moral and property crimes, was accused of robbery in January and February. The accused is said to have hit Park & Ride facilities near the train station and partially robbed the women. The murder weapon was a knife, two victims suffered cuts. According to the investigators, in one case there were also threats of sexual violence and deprivation of liberty.
With the perpetrator to Bratislava
On February 7 in the morning, a 38-year-old woman was attacked in the parking lot of the train station in Schwechat. The woman was pushed into her car and asked to hand over valuables with the words “money, money” and under threat with a knife. During the scramble with the perpetrator, the Lower Austrian suffered several cuts on her right hand. With the man in the passenger seat, the victim first had to drive to Vienna-Simmering and then in the direction of Kittsee or Bratislava to make ATM withdrawals. The accused took the purse with little content and the woman’s mobile phone.
Woman jumped out of a moving car
During the deprivation of liberty, which according to the police lasted from 8.45 a.m. to around 10 a.m., the victim was also intimidated to the effect that she would only survive the situation and be released if the cash withdrawals worked and the Lower Austrian woman also endured “sexual acts”, because he, the 49-year-old, would have an erection. The frightened woman finally jumped out of her car in Schwadorf (Bruck ad Leitha district) at a favorable moment and at low speed and fled, the investigators said.
Captured in Schwadorf
The result was a rear-end collision between the driverless car and another vehicle. The perpetrator also fled, but was caught in Schwadorf by a patrol from the Vienna Airport Police Inspectorate about an hour later as part of a large-scale manhunt. The suspect had the knife with him. The victim’s cell phone and purse were also seized. The 38-year-old was admitted to the Baden State Hospital. According to the police, in addition to the care of the hand injuries, psychological care for the traumatized victim was also necessary.
Linzerin suffered severe shock
In the late afternoon of February 5, Jaroslav Z. is said to have attacked a 29-year-old woman from Linz in the area of the Park & Ride facility near the Wien-Hütteldorf train station when the woman unlocked her car. The knife was also the murder weapon. Because the Upper Austrian immediately began to scream, she was clutched from behind and slightly injured with the knife in the neck area. The victim ultimately managed to escape in the car. The suspect fled without taking anything. He was clearly recognized by the 29-year-old in a photo assessment. In addition to the cut, the woman also suffered severe shock.
Another crime scene in Parndorf
Another crime scene was in Parndorf. There, on January 24, the accused is said to have tried to attack a 23-year-old from the Neusiedl am See district, whom he may have observed continuously on the train journey from Vienna. According to the police, the young woman already had an oppressive feeling, which is why she quickly got into her car parked in the Park & Ride facility at Parndorf station and locked it without looking around. When an attempt was made to open the doors, the woman from Burgenland drove off despite the slightly icy windows of the car. Jaroslav Z. recognized her with a high degree of probability as the man who had kept looking at her in the train compartment.
Women as “easy victims”
When questioned, the 49-year-old stated that he had therefore specifically selected women because they would be “easier” victims and less resistance could be expected. As a motive for the raids, he cited constant financial difficulties due to his drug addiction. Any other victims were called on Tuesday to contact the State Criminal Police Office of Lower Austria on Tel.: 059133 30-3333.
Source: Nachrichten
