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A teenager was fighting for her life in Auckland City Hospital last night after allegedly being assaulted and dragged into her boyfriend's van during a row, moments before it crashed into a tree and caught fire.
Bystanders living near the crash scene in Friedlanders Rd, Manurewa, plucked the pair from the wrecked van after its rear caught fire shortly after 7am yesterday.
Witnesses told police the woman, 19, was assaulted and hauled into the van on a nearby street just minutes before it sped off and crashed.
Counties-Manukau detectives are investigating the incident.
The teenager, from Palmerston North, and her boyfriend, 21, arrived in Auckland on Monday to see in the New Year with members of his family.
He broke his legs in the smash and is in Middlemore Hospital.
The woman was on life support in Auckland 's critical care unit last night.
Detective Sergeant Eddie Sutherland told the Herald the couple had been arguing and the woman drove away from the home in her car, but was followed by the man in a van.
Mr Sutherland said that for an unknown reason the woman stopped in a nearby street, where the dispute continued and police were called by concerned witnesses, who awoke to her screams.
"He was seen to assault her on Christmas Rd and put her in the van and the next thing is the car crash," he said.
Witness John Tino said he awoke to a loud noise and, after seeing the van had caught fire, ran with his cousin to help pull the woman from the car.
"We just took them as far away from the burning vehicle [as possible]."
The injured man's brother said his family were in shock after the crash. He said the couple had been arguing all night. They had been drinking until midnight, when they ran out of beer.
He learned of the crash when he went to investigate sirens and saw his father's van smashed against the tree.
