Freddy the Donkey Chooses Violence—and a Window Seat
A loose donkey named Freddy jumped into a van in northern Germany. He then kicked and bit the two motorists inside, injuring three people in total. This was less carjacking than car-jackassing.
Freddy the donkey made his entrance through a van, then began kicking and biting the people inside. It was less a carjacking than a brisk demonstration of why most vehicles do not come with hoof room.
The trouble began on Friday, 21 August 2026, in Holssel, south of the coastal city of Cuxhaven in northern Germany. Passersby spotted Freddy and a horse running loose near a roundabout, where the pair were adding an unexpected livestock element to the local traffic system.
Two motorists stopped and tried to secure Freddy. This was a public-spirited decision that rapidly became a medical one.
According to Cuxhaven police, the donkey “became very aggressive” and jumped into the motorists’ van. Once aboard, Freddy did not settle quietly by the window or wait to be asked where he was going. He kicked and bit the two people in the vehicle, turning an attempted rescue into a compact slapstick siege with upholstery.
A 33-year-old woman then tried to help restrain the aggressive animal. She was also injured and required hospital treatment. The two motorists sustained minor injuries, bringing the total number of people hurt during Freddy’s unscheduled excursion to three.
The incident ended when the donkey’s owner intervened and secured him. Freddy was subsequently back in his enclosure, while the horse appears not to have played a reported role in the van invasion or the ensuing violence. It had, on the available evidence, chosen the more traditional loose-horse approach to the afternoon.
Police have not established what prompted Freddy to react in this fashion. “The reason for the animal’s aggressive reaction is still unclear,” their statement said, leaving open the central mystery of why a donkey at a roundabout suddenly decided that the correct next step was to board a van and fight everyone.
For now, the immediate consequences are clearer. One woman was treated in hospital, the two motorists escaped with minor injuries, Freddy was returned to his enclosure, and the owner regained control of an outing that had escalated from animals on the loose to a full-contact dispute over passenger space.
Original story
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