West Bank man hits-and-runs, caught by police while sharing selfie on WhatsApp

The man's phone was open on WhatsApp to send the selfie he had taken, which is what allowed the forces to find his location.

Illegal Palestinian resident crashes vehicle and flees scene, April 27, 2025. (photo credit: Police Spokesperson )
Illegal Palestinian resident crashes vehicle and flees scene, April 27, 2025.
(photo credit: Police Spokesperson )

An illegal resident from the West Bank was arrested after he caused a car accident and attempted to flee on foot, Israel Police announced on Sunday.

When fleeing the scene, the man, age 21, hid behind a tree. He was found after he took a selfie and shared it on WhatsApp, which allowed the forces to track down his location, police said.

The illegal resident was then brought to the police for questioning and had his detention extended by the court.

Following an investigation of the scene, it was found that an illegal resident's vehicle had a shattered rear window. It was later determined that the car had been stolen shortly before the crash. 

When police reached the man hiding behind the tree, he initially resisted arrest before he was handcuffed by the police.

 Shattered rear window of vehicle, April 27, 2025. (credit: Police Spokesperson )
Shattered rear window of vehicle, April 27, 2025. (credit: Police Spokesperson )

Driving with no license 

The police then noted that the man's phone was open on WhatsApp to send the selfie he had taken, which is what allowed the forces to find his location.

During further investigation, it was discovered that the man did not have a driver's license.

The police added that on Friday, forces pulled over a suspicious vehicle on Highway 1. The police found that the man was also an illegal resident from the West Bank who had stolen the vehicle and did not have a license.