Police searching for missing driver who allegedly fled into Whakatāne waterway

Police are seeking a driver who allegedly fled from them in a vehicle before running through a lagoon near Thornton Hall Rd to avoid officers.

Police are appealing for help locating a driver who allegedly escaped arrest by running into a lagoon.

A police spokeswoman said the driver of a grey 1994 Nissan Cefiro sedan entered a lagoon off Thornton Hall Rd in the Whakatāne district after allegedly fleeing police on SH30 Awakeri last night.

Police pursued the driver, who was earlier seen driving in “an unsafe manner” around midnight, for a short time to Thornton Hall Rd until the sedan was abandoned and the driver ran off through a nearby lagoon, the spokeswoman said.

“Police, with the assistance of a dog unit and a Tauranga-based EMS helicopter, searched the area. However, the driver was not located. The vehicle was impounded, and a passenger from the vehicle was spoken to.”

The police spokeswoman said the shoreline and water were searched this morning and residents in the area were also spoken to.

Police believe the driver involved in the incident left the area last night.

Anyone with information that may assist police in identifying and locating the driver of the grey 1994 Nissan Cefrio sedan should call 105 and quote reference file number 240526/0994.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.