Masterton Police have arrested a 28-year-old Auckland man in relation to the theft of a courier van in the town yesterday (13 October). 

The van – full of parcels at the time - was reported stolen from Queen Street, Masterton at around 4.20pm.

Following the theft, Police received a number of reports from members of the public, who had seen the van being driving erratically. 

At 6.15pm, Police were advised that the van was at the rear of a High Street property. Officers located the van crashed into the rear fence of the High Street property. 

The van had been locked and the driver was no longer present. Some of the parcels were still in the van, and some were located at the scene of other offending outlined below. 

Police then received a report of another stolen vehicle – a Volkswagen Tiguan TSI R-Line hatchback. This car was stolen from a residential address near where the van had been located. The car was driven through a garage door by the offender (photo attached). 

Police later received a sighting of the stolen car in the Eketahuna area, and were subsequently advised that a quad bike had been stolen from a farm and was being used by a man to try and tow a car out of a ditch on Nireaha Hukanui Road. Unable to get the car out of the ditch, the man then stole a Toyota Hiluxute from the farmer whose quad bike had been stolen. 

Shortly after 1am today, officers who were in the Eketahuna area making enquiries into this offending noticed a flash of red brake lights from behind a building. 

The officers located a man behind the building, in the stolen ute, and took him into custody. 

The 28-year-old man is scheduled to appear in Masterton District Court today, facing a number of charges relating to yesterday’s offending. He has also been charged in relation to a bail breach. 

Further charges are possible as Police continue their enquiries into yesterday’s offending. We encourage anyone who may have information which could assist – including sightings of the various vehicles involved – to contact Masterton Police.

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