A stolen vehicle was involved in a police chase through Pahiatua on Thursday and ended up driving along railway tracks at Mangamutu and becoming stuck.
Local resident Nikki O'Leary noticed the driver dumping rubbish that morning at Ngawapurua - "I got mad," she said "and alerted police as there was a registration paper that didn't match the number plate of the vehicle."
"Driving through Pahiatua that afternoon I observed a white Ford Courier ute similar to the stolen vehicle going in the opposite direction," Pahiatua police constable Scott Peel said.
"I turned around and managed to get behind it and confirmed the number plate matched those of the vehicle seen dumping rubbish that morning."
Peel tried to stop the vehicle as it was proceeding down Mangahao Rd.