Pinkpop victims were sitting in the road, witnesses say
The four victims of a hit-and-run accident at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf early on Monday morning, were sitting in the road playing games, witnesses said to RTL Nieuws and AD.
The incident happened just after 4:00 a.m. on Mensheggerweg, near the festival's Campground B. The four victims were hit by a white van. One was killed and three others are in critical condition. The driver of the van left the scene of the accident, but later turned himself in to the police in Amsterdam.
A taxi driver that spoke to RTL drove past the victims multiple times before the accident. "I saw a group young people on the road, on the right lane", he said to the broadcaster. "They were sitting in a circle playing games."
Jacqueline Schmeitz, who worked as a deejay on Pinkpop's campground B, confirmed this to AD. "I drove slowly because I have learned to take anything into account. There's nothing as unpredictable as partying people", she said to the newspaper. According to Schmeitz, the victims wore dark clothing and had no light with them. "Really very dangerous."
The suspect, a 34-year-old man from Heerlen, went to the police in Amsterdam and was arrested, the police announced around 7 hours after the incident happened. The van he drove was found on Keekstraat in Heerlen, according to RTL.
The suspect's father is convinced that this was an accident, he said to AD and the Telegraaf. According to the father, there is "nothing unusual" about his son. "He must have panicked when he left [the scene of the accident]" he said. "It was an accident. I cannot think of anything else."
The 34-year-old man left home early on Monday morning to pick up a colleague before heading to work in Amsterdam. "It must have happened on his way to work. He still had to pick someone up", the father said to AD. He hasn't spoken to his son since. The suspect is in restricted custody, which means he is only allowed contact with the authorities and his lawyer. "I am waiting for a message from the police. There is news coming soon. I only know that he reported himself to the police in Amsterdam."