Abandoned, blood-stained and flipped - the mystery of a car left on the Napier-Taupō Rd with a passport, wallet and laptop inside is deepening.
Police said they responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash about two to three kilometres north of Te Pohue about 10am on Thursday.
The crash was first reported to police at 5.25am.
Chad Huirama, who spotted the upturned car on Thursday morning, said he came across the crash while travelling north along the Napier-Taupō Rd.
"I noticed a car on its roof and we stopped to do a scene examination," he said. "I found cans of alcohol, a passport, a wallet, a laptop.
"We also found a shirt, eyeliner and a shoe that were covered in blood about 50 metres down the road from the crash."
Huirama added: "The car door was covered in blood and it looked like whoever is responsible had fled the scene."
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said they were notified of the incident, but were not required to attend.
Police confirmed that nobody was located with the vehicle upon arrival and no road blockages occurred.
"The car was must have been travelling south towards Hastings when it lost control on a 65kmh corner, slid across the road, hit the bank and flipped," Huirama added.
Reports on social media suggest a vehicle with a similar description was stolen from a Flaxmere address at 5.30am on Thursday.
Police inquiries into the incident are under way.