A courier driver involved in a terrifying early-morning robbery in upmarket Grey Lynn was seen screaming for help as a man entered her fully laden van and drove off.
Stephen D’Antal lives on Sussex St in Grey Lynn. At 6.30am on Friday he was woken up by loud noises, shouting and a car engine revving outside his house.
“It’s not what we normally wake up to here.”
D’Antal opened the curtains to have a look and saw a white courier van.
“It was driving up the road towards Great North Rd, the side door was open and I could see a courier driver in a red shirt, a young woman sitting on the side as it was being driven up. She was shouting, ‘Help, help, stop the van’.
“The van had stopped and by this time I saw various neighbours come outside all wearing dressing gowns, night clothes, an audience of at least 10 people.”
D’Antal said he then saw somebody getting out of the driver’s seat, “a young man, possibly in his 20s wearing a grey hoodie”.
“He was shouting at someone, ‘Come, bring the car’. A little white hatchback came beside the van, engine revving.
“The thief holding only one parcel got in that car and left.
“It was a robbery - someone was trying to steal the courier van full of parcels.”
D’Antal said he’d heard of thieves stalking courier vans to steal parcels but “this is a bit of an escalation of stealing the whole vanload”.
Afterwards, neighbours came to the aid of the courier driver, he said.
“I rang the police, I guess various people did.”
A police spokesperson said two offenders were in custody following the robbery of a courier van in Grey Lynn yesterday morning.
“The robbery occurred on Sussex Street after 6.30am, where a man approached the courier van.
“He has removed the driver from the vehicle and stolen parcels from inside, before leaving the area in another vehicle.”
Police began inquiries around the central Auckland area, the spokesperson said.
“Later in the morning, the Police Eagle helicopter sighted the vehicle of interest as it was travelling into Kumeū.
“Shortly afterwards, police signalled the vehicle to stop but it failed to do so.
“Eagle has continued to monitor the vehicle’s erratic driving as it headed back towards the city.
“The vehicle came to a stop in the carpark at St Lukes Shopping Centre and the occupants fled on foot.”
Police were quickly on the scene and took both occupants into custody without further incident, the spokesperson said.
“We are pleased to advise a number of parcels have been recovered inside the vehicle.
“Both men are now in custody and charges are expected in this matter.”
An NZ Post spokesperson said they were very disappointed that this incident had occurred.
“The matter is currently being investigated by Police. We are supporting our driver, with their wellbeing in front of mind.”
A shopper at St Lukes Mall who saw the two offenders being taken away by the police at 9.15am yesterday told the Herald she heard a speeding car slam on its brakes and saw two men in hoodies run through the mall - one went past her and the other through the carpark.
“A few moments later I heard a police unit speeding with its sirens blaring. Two officers entered, split up and started chasing the guys in the mall and the carpark,” Ella said.
“Shoppers heard the commotion and come out to look. Police had the helicopter in the air. And lots of police came very quickly including two dog handlers, which I could see.
“I could hear police saying ‘police, stop!’ They must have entered through the level two Morningside Drive entrance.
“Both of the guys were taken away by police. They were probably in their 20s and they were swearing.”
Ella said police were there for around 20 minutes and there were a lot of officers.
“It was really scary and frightening.”
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