Northland driver shares tailgating ordeal on State Highway 15

Two forestry workers claim they were chased 20km kilometres along a Northland highway while driving to work in the early morning.

Whangārei resident Timmy Barnes was driving with a colleague along State Highway 15 to his work in Pakotai when a Toyota Prado 4WD being mostly driven with its lights off came up behind them in the dark, about 5.30am.

Barnes believed two people were in the vehicle that started tailgating them near the Tītoki general store.

“I had to tap the brake lights just so I could see them behind me as they had no lights on,” he said.

“At one stage the wheels on my ute were making a whirring sound because they had pushed their car so close up against mine.”

Barnes claimed they were trying to run him off the road.

“They pulled up alongside me at one point, the whole time they were shining a torch out of their car so I couldn’t see in.”

The dangerous situation happened in an area with no cell phone reception.

“I was worried because I thought what if they do cause an accident, you know there’s little reception out there.”

During the chase his workmate told him to “just drive”, fearing the duo could have a gun.

Barnes said while the mystery vehicle failed to push them off the road, it continued to tailgate until the vehicles reached Pakotai, after which it disappeared.

As the ordeal played out, Barnes’ colleague had contacted their boss and asked him to call police.

Barnes believed the driver may have done something similar before, given how comfortable they appeared driving in such a manner.

Police want to hear from anyone in the area who witnessed the 4WD being driven aggressively or who may have been involved in another incident. Additionally, police are asking for CCTV, photos and video footage of the vehicle or its occupants to be reported.

Senior Sergeant Steve Dickson of Whangārei advised anyone concerned about unsafe driving behaviour to pull over in a safe place and report the incident to police.

“Additionally, we encourage anyone who has concerns or has been in a situation where they feel unsafe to please report the matter to police so we can make follow-up enquiries.”

Dickson said people should phone 111 if the incident is happening now or for non-urgent matters call 105.