Student Who Failed to Graduate Goes on Rampage, Damages Railway Gate and Flagpole
A motorcyclist who went viral for damaging a railway crossing barrier and a resident’s flagpole has been arrested. The perpetrator, identified by the initial S (24), acted out of stress because his university studies were not yet completed. He was recorded damaging the barrier in Gamping, Sleman, on Sunday (9/8), and a second video showed him pulling down a flagpole in Bantul. Both videos went viral on social media.
Kabid Humas of the Yogyakarta Special Region Police, Kombes Ihsan, stated that the two acts of vandalism occurred within 20 minutes of each other and that S was under the influence of alcohol at the time. ‘The legal facts found by investigators are that the perpetrator committed his actions under the influence of alcohol or while drunk,’ Ihsan explained during a press conference at the Sleman Police Station on Tuesday (11/8/2026). ‘This caused his consciousness to be impaired, which made the perpetrator impatient, temperamental, and led him to commit anarchic acts,’ he continued.
In addition to the influence of alcohol, Ihsan noted that the perpetrator was also facing family problems. The issue stemmed from an argument with his older sibling because S had not yet finished his studies. ‘Regarding the name of the campus, we respect that and are focusing on the criminal act. From the initial examination, it was found that the person concerned rarely attended lectures, so his sibling, who also studies at the same place, reprimanded him,’ he said. ‘Angered by the reprimand and under the influence of alcohol, he then committed the acts, such as damaging the flag and the railway barrier. Yes, there was an internal family problem,’ Ihsan added. He confirmed that the actions were purely personal and unrelated to any particular group or network.
Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the Sleman Police, AKP Mateus Wiwit Kustiyadi, stated that the perpetrator is charged with two articles for the damage to the railway barrier and faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. ‘The article applied for the locus in Sleman is Article 321 of the Criminal Code, concerning anyone who unlawfully destroys a building for public traffic, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison,’ Wiwit explained. He added that a secondary charge for vandalism carries a penalty of two years and six months in prison or a fine of up to IDR 200 million.
Regarding the flag destruction in Bantul, AKP Subihan Afuan Ardhi added that the perpetrator is charged under Article 234 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison for anyone who damages, tears, tramples, burns, or commits other acts against the national flag with the intent to defile, insult, or degrade its honour. Ardhi noted that his team will conduct a thorough analysis, including examining CCTV footage and the physical condition of the flag, to fully apply the elements of the article.