16 November

Police have located the vehicle that fatally hit a pedestrian on Naenae Road
at 5.46am today and are appealing for the driver to come forward.

The vehicle, a dark-gray Mazda 6 sedan, was stolen from an address in Belmont
in the early hours of the morning and was located on Waddington Drive in
Naenae at 12.20pm today.

Detective Inspector Haley Ryan of Hutt Valley Police urges the driver of the
vehicle to report to Police.

"The driver of that vehicle will know they have hit a person, and in all
likelihood they will be panicking right now.

“I urge the driver or any occupant of that vehicle to come forward and
speak to us, as we want to understand the events that have led to this
tragedy.”

Police are also appealing to members of the public to contact us immediately
if they have seen this vehicle anywhere in the Hutt Valley leading up to this
tragedy or afterwards.

Detective Inspector Ryan says "We know the car has been driven around the
Hutt Valley for several hours prior to this tragic incident. It was speeding
and driving erratically and continued to do so after hitting the victim.

“Following the collision, the vehicle was seen to be smoking heavily and
would have been showing visible damage. The way it has been driven would draw
significant attention.

“CCTV (attached photo) has captured the vehicle at the bottom of the
Wainuiomata Hill minutes prior to the crash.

“It is shown making a turn into Waiwhetu Road from Whites Line East and
from there it would have travelled towards Naenae. It was driving north on
Naenae Road at the time the victim was hit.”

Police are seeking CCTV or dashcam footage from Naenae Road between 5.40am
and 5.50am.

"At that time, and just afterwards, we know there are people who have driven
past and they may have seen or noticed something that can help the
investigation.

“CCTV is crucial in assisting investigators and we ask that anyone in the
area please review your footage and contact Police if you haven’t already
spoken to us.”

Anyone with information should contact Police via 105 or online at
https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 using Update Report and referencing case
number 231116/3474.

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