In the early hours of Thursday morning, gardai were called to a domestic disturbance in the estate of Forthview, Murrintown. Upon their arrival, a 29-year-old man fled on foot. A short foot chase ensued and gardaí eventually arrested the man, who is well known to them, having also made the discovery of knives.
He was brought to Wexford Garda Station where he remains in custody and is being questioned.
This morning’s disturbance is the latest incident for a housing estate which was only officially opened last year. The ribbon was no sooner cut on Forthview, Murrintown by the Housing Minister James Browne in March 2025, than reports started to emerge of issues with alleged anti-social behaviour, fighting between neighbours and drugs.
Seven months after the estate was officially launched, local councillor Jim Codd voiced concerns that some of the new residents were already living in fear and seeking to be transferred to other accommodation.
“This is a brand new estate and we cannot allow it to be ghettoised by the behaviour of a handful of people out there,” he said at the time.
When asked about repeated incidents at the new estate, a garda source said that there had been a few calls, and noted it was a pity that “a handful of individuals” were causing problems for the rest of the residents there.
Back in November, when asked about Forthview, a spokesperson for Co-operative Housing Ireland said: “It is important to note that Co-operative Housing Ireland takes complaints of anti-social behaviour very seriously and proactively. We are the first approved housing body to introduce a dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Team, which has enhanced how we provide services to families and individuals.
“Member tenants are encouraged to contact the Safer Neighbourhood Team for support or if they have any concerns, and to report any criminal activity directly to An Garda Síochána.”
Gardaí hadn’t long returned to headquarters in Wexford in the wake of the fracas in Forthview, when they were back out the road to Murrintown once more, having received a call to say that a car had been stolen from outside of a home in the village.
The owner of the vehicle, a silver Nissan Qashqai, awoke on Thursday morning and looked out to window shortly after 7 a.m. to find the car was nowhere to be seen. It had been parked up at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening and was taken from outside the house without the keys.
The car’s registration plate is 152WX1855 and gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious, or seen the vehicle between 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday to contact Wexford Garda Station on 053 9165200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
Investigating members are following leads in relation to the theft and are waiting on further CCTV footage for analysis. They are particularly keen to speak with anyone in the Murrintown area who may have footage of the vehicle in question, be it dashcam footage, phone footage or even a doorbell, within the specified time period.
Gardaí have yet to definitively rule out if the incidents are connected.