An Auckland man came across thieves driving his mother's stolen car near his Auckland home so gave chase and eventually got them arrested. Graphic / NZ Herald
An Auckland man came across thieves driving his mother's stolen car near his Auckland home so gave chase and eventually got them arrested. Graphic / NZ Herald
An Auckland man and his partner nabbed a group of teens who had just stolen his mother's car.
But the man, who did not want to be identified, said while he wasn't surprised a car had been stolen he was shocked at the age of them.
Police have also confirmed the theft is involved in a wider investigation about vehicle thefts in the East Auckland area.
The man said his mother's Mazda Demio was stolen from outside their Bucklands Beach Rd property some time overnight on February 10.
His mother had made the discovery after going outside about 8am that day.
He said as the car had the keys to his mother's scooter inside he and his partner decided to go get a new key cut so she could drive the scooter.
But to their shock, on their way back home, on neighbouring MacLeans Rd, the pair spied the stolen Demio.
"On our way back from the shops, my partner and I play this game where if you see a '3' on a number plate you get to punch the other person's arm, so we get good at looking at number plates.
"So she says 'OMG that's your mum's number plate, that's your mum's car', I'm like 'nah, bullshit and then I look and there it is, I'm like 'this is outrageous'."
The man said he initially dismissed his partner's observation given they were so close to home.
"I'm like there's no way, they're not that stupid surely. I thought it would have been stolen by some gangster fullas and it was already being sold in parts, you know what I mean, let alone driving around in the same area."
He turns around and begins to follow but then the car speeds up, eventually going "really, really fast".
"It got really dangerous, I tried to overtake them and then slowed down and then they would slow down and they would just turn around and start driving the other way and they nearly rolled it several times almost hitting other peoples' cars, there were people on the side of the road."
Unfortunately the couple had both left their phones at home so he felt he couldn't stop following them. The car eventually came to a stop back on MacLeans Rd, when three people got out.
An Auckland man came across thieves driving his mother's stolen car near his Auckland home so gave chase and eventually got them arrested. Graphic / NZ Herald
"Two of them ran into the bushes but the third had an ankle cast, so he wasn't going anywhere. I told him to sit back down in the car and asked to use his cellphone to which he agreed."
The offenders were all Caucasian who lived locally and were aged 15 and 16.
He was shocked to learn the thieves were so young - and skilled - at stealing cars.
"I expected someone who was either drunk or stoned ... and out jump these little white kids. I'm like, you've got to be joking. I was surprised that they were so young. You don't expect someone to steal a car to be so young, because they were really little, man."
Counties Manukau East police area commander Inspector Wendy Spiller said they were aware of vehicle thefts being an issue in East Auckland.
"The unlawful taking of the motor vehicle that was involved is part of a wider investigation that police are conducting in relation to a recent increase in vehicle crime localised in a number of East Auckland suburbs.
"As a result of inquiries to date, a number of young people have been referred to Youth Aid for offences relating to unlawful taking and unlawfully getting into motor vehicles."
Spiller said police appreciated tips about suspicious activity but encouraged people to call 111.
"Police would stress however, that safety is paramount for all involved, and in any instance of a stolen vehicle being observed, police would ask members of the public that they phone 111 as soon as possible and that they only follow the vehicle if it is safe to do so.
"Like any area in New Zealand, localised crime trends can occur. Police work hard to identify and deal with these problems as they arise in specific areas, and rely on information and help from the community to do so."
