Quick Facts: The Incident at a Glance
- When: Sunday noon (08.02.2026), reported on Monday.
- Where: Tram in the Jena city area.
- Who: Female passenger, Jenaer Nahverkehr employees, Jena police.
- What: Woman asleep while intoxicated (1.73 per mille) on the tram.
- Consequence: Police ride home instead of a sobering-up cell.
Jena (09.02.2026) – Sometimes a journey on public transport ends differently than planned, and sometimes it ends directly in the back of a patrol car – albeit for purely caring reasons. Such a case occupied the officers of the Inspektionsdienst Jena this past Sunday.
From Deep Sleep to the Patrol Car
The incident occurred at noon on Sunday. Employees of the Jenaer Verkehrsbetriebe noticed a female person who was fast asleep in one of the trams. Despite several attempts, the staff was unable to wake the woman. Since it is initially unclear in such situations whether a medical emergency exists, the employees acted in an exemplary manner and notified the police.
The responding officers from ID Jena were able to clarify the situation quickly. After waking the lady, it turned out that significant alcohol consumption, rather than an acute illness, was the cause of the drowsiness. A voluntary breath alcohol test conducted on-site provided certainty: the device showed a value of 1.73 per mille.
Classification: Police as “Friend and Helper”
A value of over 1.7 per mille represents significant intoxication, which is often accompanied by disorientation and restricted reaction capacity. In legal terms, certain values are referred to as a “helpless situation.” Persons in this state are often no longer able to safely continue their way and could be endangered in traffic or by weather influences.
In this case, the officers decided on a pragmatic and citizen-oriented solution. Instead of taking the woman into police custody – which often involves a stay in a sobering-up cell – the police acted as a free shuttle service. The still-tired passenger was brought safely to her residential address and dropped off there.
No Criminal Consequences
For the person concerned, the incident remains without legal consequences. As the Landespolizeiinspektion Jena confirmed, no actions occurred that would be relevant under criminal law. The woman neither resisted nor were there insults or property damage in the tram. Thus, it remains a curious anecdote and presumably a hangover on Monday morning.
Safety in Jena Public Transport
The incident also shows how important the attentiveness of personnel in public transport is. It happens that passengers sleep at terminuses – however, being unable to wake them requires swift action. By involving the police, it was ensured that nothing happened to the woman while she was defenseless in her condition.
The Jena police emphasize in this context repeatedly that the protection of citizens comes first – even if this protection sometimes only consists of safely accompanying someone to their own bed.