Whangārei driver crashes into cars before fleeing on foot in Woodhill close to Whangārei Hospital

This morning's scene where an off-road vehicle hit multiple cars before the driver fled the scene on foot on Maunu Rd. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A witness has described seeing the moment an off-road vehicle collided with two other cars before the driver fled on foot in Whangārei earlier this morning.

A witness standing on the corner of Maunu Rd and West End Dr - less than 300m from Whangārei Hospital in Maunu - recalled the moment they heard the sound of a hub cap hitting the road around 10.30am.

The man, who did not want to be named, said the sound made him turn around where he saw a Nissan Safari 4x4 vehicle with a flat back tyre being driven down the median strip of Maunu Rd headed in the direction of the hospital.

He said the lights in front of the vehicle had turned red and a steady flow of traffic had come to a halt except for the driver who continued.

A car turning right at the traffic lights from Hospital Rd onto Maunu Rd was struck on its right hand side by the off-road vehicle equipped with a large towbar at its front.

"He hit it hard and it bounced out of the way and then bam he hit the second car," the man said. "The lights went green and those poor people never saw him coming."

The vehicle went up onto the footpath next to the lane of oncoming traffic before it collided with a traffic light, bending it backwards.

"He then did a runner."

Witnesses reported seeing at least two members of the public chase the man who fled in the direction of Whangārei Hospital while other people contacted police.

At the Maunu Rd and State Highway 1 intersection closer to town police were speaking to the occupants of a car with damage on the back of the vehicle.

The car was believed to be linked to the same incident.

A police spokesman said no-one was seriously hurt in the incident.

Officers successfully located the driver but did not disclose where the man was found.

Enquiries are ongoing into the crash.