An American airman stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, went on trial Nov. 18, 2025, in a German court in Trier. The charges against him, negligent homicide and negligent bodily injury, stem from a wrong-way autobahn crash near the base on May 3. (Stars and Stripes)

A U.S. airman being tried in the German justice system over a deadly autobahn collision near Spangdahlem Air Base admitted in court Tuesday through his attorney that he had consumed a large quantity of alcohol before the crash.

The unidentified airman, who was charged by prosecutors in Trier with negligent homicide and negligent bodily injury, also apologized and asked for forgiveness.

“I am terribly sorry,” the 24-year-old airman said on the opening day of the trial, his attorney, Christian Hoelzer told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

The apology was addressed to the parents and sister of the 23-year-old German woman who was killed in the crash, as well as the two young women who survived it, Hoelzer said.

German prosecutors have not released the airman’s name or unit. He most recently worked for the Spangdahlem airport’s fire department, local news outlet Sol.de reported.

The crash occurred May 3 on the autobahn A60 near Landscheid, a few miles east of the base. The airman was driving his Jeep Wrangler the wrong way and hit a car driven by the 23-year-old woman.

She was taken to a hospital, where she later died of her injuries. Two 24-year-old passengers also suffered serious injuries. The airman’s injuries were minor.

Prosecutors say he had a blood alcohol level of 0.14% at the time of the crash. The legal limit in Germany is 0.05% in most cases.

Through a statement read by Hoelzer in court Tuesday, the airman said he had been drinking with fellow service members before the crash to celebrate promotions that had been announced earlier in the day, Sol.de reported.

The airman admitted to consuming a 0.5-liter bottle of tequila and unknown quantities of beer and other alcoholic drinks, Hoelzer said.

The statement also said that although the airman was aware of his intoxication, he decided to drive from Wittlich to his home in Trier but couldn’t recall the exact route he took, Sol.de reported.

In May, German prosecutors announced they would retain jurisdiction of the case. Trying an American service member in German court is somewhat unusual.

While Germany has primary jurisdiction in cases involving U.S. military personnel and German citizens, it usually waives this right under a supplementary provision to the NATO Status of Forces Agreement.

However, the agreement allows the waiver to be withdrawn within 21 days for egregious offenses such as robbery, rape or crimes that result in death.

In the past six years, German authorities have ceded jurisdiction to the U.S. military in at least two fatal cases involving American service members.

One of those cases was the highly publicized murder trial of a Spangdahlem airman in 2024. A military court found Airman 1st Class Grant Harrison not guilty of unpremeditated murder in the stabbing death of martial artist Michael Ovsjannikov.

Ovsjannikov, 28, was killed Aug. 19, 2023, during an early morning altercation at a street fair in nearby Wittlich.

Harrison’s acquittal sparked outrage in the communities around Spangdahlem and led to several protests outside the base. Residents at the protests said it had created mistrust in the U.S. military’s judicial system.

The prosecutor’s office said the decision to retain jurisdiction in the latest case was based on the number of victims involved. Five joint plaintiffs have joined the case, including the two women who were seriously injured in the crash.

The trial resumes on Nov. 26, and a verdict is expected Dec. 3, according to a statement from the court in Trier.

The airman remains under U.S. military control, the 52nd Fighter Wing said in a statement.