Police hunt five 'idiots'

File photo / NZ Herald

An early morning joyride through Napier streets by five teenagers in a stolen car yesterday left the car written off, streets and reserves scarred by tyre tracks and a fence and letterboxes uprooted.

"Idiots," was how a Maraenui resident who asked not to be named, described the group. "They were doing it in broad daylight."

Police said the culprits were aged between 15 and 19.

The resident was one of several people who called police at various times during the early hours as the car, at one stage losing a section of its exhaust, was driven around the city - although mainly in the Marewa/Maraenui area.

It was after getting a phone call from a man in Maraenui at around 6am that police knew what sort of car they were after.

The man had gone outside at that time and discovered his Ford Mondeo had been stolen.

Around 7am residents in Nash St heard a car being driven "like crazy" along a nearby green belt.

"You could hear the engine revving up and they were sliding it everywhere ... and I also heard a couple of bangs," one man said.

His wife called police and they kept an eye on the car.

He said at one stage it appeared there were two girls standing on the footpath by the reserve "egging" the occupants on.

"I think they were taking turns to drive," he said.

A police patrol arrived quickly in the area and officers spotted the car on the reserve.

Senior Sergeant Wendy Wright said it appeared the group spotted the police and decided to make a run for it - through the wooden fence rather than the more solid concrete pole and chain fence which runs along the footpath.

After smashing through and ending up on the other side of the road the car was no longer able to be driven, so they scrambled out and ran off.

Police were unable to track the offenders, although Ms Wright said they were following up inquiries and wanted to hear from anyone who may have information about the teens.

The group was made up of three males and two females.

One of the officers at the scene said the car had received extensive panel damage, a broken axle and exhaust.

"They really dealt to it," he said, adding that it appeared to be a "write-off."