Watch: Witness tells of police chase after man jumps into river from burning car and is pursued by cops who 'commandeered an old wooden motorboat'

March 12, 2018

The cops gave chase in a sluggish motorboat making for a slow speed chase near Tauranga this morning.

A man has jumped from a burning car into the Wairoa River as he fled from police, leading to the closure of State Highway 2 near Tauranga.

The fleeing driver was being pursued along SH2 in the Te Puna and Whakamarama area, when he abandoned his burning car on Wairoa Bridge.

A witness at the scene, Coraleigh Parker, told 1 NEWS she saw a silver BMW come skidding down the road sideways before the driver jumped out and emptied his pockets then dove off the bridge into Wairoa River making a swim for it.

"Police commandeered an old wooden motorboat that could only travel at swimming speed so it was a little bit funny as they tried to chase him going at the same speed as he was swimming.

"Once he got down by the bend in the river he started taking his clothes off, then we could see a naked body get out of the water and the police were there waiting for him," Ms Parker said.

The police chase along SH2 is believed to have occurred around 9.20am this morning, when a driver did not stop for them near Athenree Road, travelling in the direction of Tauranga. 

Police pursued the car for a period but shortly abandoned the chase, a police spokesperson said.

At 10.40am, police released a statement saying SH2 along Wairoa Bridge in both directions is closed, and would remain so for at least the next half-an-hour.

The pursuit this morning comes after a horror weekend on New Zealand roads in which eight people were killed.

Three of the deaths came after a police car chase near Nelson yesterday morning which killed three people.

Two of the deceased were fleeing from police, and the third was a member of the public in an oncoming vehicle.

In response to this Nelson accident, the Police Minister Stuart Nash has asked for an update on the progress of police pursuit reviews.

At present, New Zealand Police use their discretion on whether to pursue a vehicle that has fled.

However, in the wake of recent police pursuit crashes, there are calls from the public for police to adopt a no pursuit policy, for the safety of other motorists on the road.

SHARE ME

More Stories