Teen Driver to Appear in Kaitaia Court After Pedestrian Death

A teenager has been charged with common battery in connection with an earlier alleged incident involving a man killed after being struck by a vehicle in Kaitaia on Tuesday night.

Police said the vehicle involved was located at the scene and that police spoke with an 18-year-old woman.

She has since been charged with common battery in connection with an earlier alleged incident at the address involving the deceased man and is due to appear in Kaitaia District Court at a later date and additional charges may be filed.

Police were called to Matthews Avenue around 6:20 p.m., where a vehicle had reportedly struck a pedestrian in front of a house. The male pedestrian suffered serious injuries and died overnight at the hospital.

A Matthews Ave resident told NZME she had heard and seen an altercation between two people at a nearby address. He had become physically violent, he said, when a person walked away from the address. Moments later he heard “a bang” but did not see what had happened.

She was one of the people who called an ambulance.

The Serious Accident Unit examined the scene Tuesday night, where the involved vehicle was found. A cordon was laid between Allen Bell Drive and Watts Street.

Far North Police Detective Sergeant Major Mark Dalzell said police investigations were ongoing and police could not rule out further charges in connection with this matter.

Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident should contact Detective Sergeant Simon Wihongi at 105.

It was the second fatal accident in Kaitaia this month involving a young man and raises the Northlands Highway toll for the year to 23.

A 24-year-old Te Kao man was killed at the scene when the car he was riding in the back seat crashed into a concrete power pole on Kaitaia Awaroa Rd, at the top of the hill before the east end of the Pukepoto Straight. , in the early morning of October 10.

Police named him Justin Ricky-Lee Murray and the car he was in had previously fled the police.

The driver and a second passenger were seriously injured and flown to Auckland by rescue helicopter for emergency treatment. It was later described that they were in a serious but stable condition.

Two more passengers were admitted to the hospital with moderate injuries and were later released.

Police had chased the vehicle in Kaitaia for a short time around 1.20am, but gave up the chase due to the speed and driving of the driver. The car crashed into the power pole a few minutes later.