Whangārei mum’s warning for women after pedestrian attempts to open car door

The Whangārei mother was sitting at a pedestrian crossing when the man crossing it approached her car and attempted to open the passenger door. Photo / NZME

A Whangārei mother is warning women to lock their car doors after a man at a pedestrian crossing attempted to get into her vehicle with her two children inside.

About 1pm today, Jacintha Okan pulled up to the pedestrian crossing at the corner of Nixon St and Mill Rd in Kensington to let a man cross.

“He started to cross and pivoted and started to walk towards our car right in the middle of the road,” she said.

Okan could tell the man was heading for the passenger side, where her 10-year-old son Kade was sitting.

“I started to panic and say ‘no, no, no’, [and] my son was just kind of frozen.”

The man, who was dressed in a rain jacket, shorts and not wearing shoes, walked up to the door and tried to force the locked door open by pulling at the handle.

A panicked Okan made sure the doors were locked before driving off.

However, she heard a thump as the man struck at the side door and swore at her.

Kade turned to her and began to cry, asking why someone would do that. In the rear was Okan’s 7-month-old daughter, in her car seat.

Okan called the police as she drove home.

She then posted on a local Facebook page to warn others.

“My first thought process was my family, who have young children in the car like me. I’m really lucky that I’ve got auto locks on my doors,” she said.

She was concerned for the safety of other women driving around during the school holidays.

Okan said she had grown up in Whangārei and had never felt unsafe before.

“It makes me question letting my teen catch the bus to and from school [and] makes me question any of my kids being anywhere without me. I don’t want them out in town without me.”

Okan had no idea what the man’s motive might have been.

Police called Okan within an hour of the incident to tell her the man had been arrested.

A police spokesperson said they were aware of the incident and had advised Okan to visit the station to provide more information. They did not confirm any charges.

“Our advice to anyone who is the victim of a crime, or who sees any suspicious behaviour, is to contact 111 immediately.”

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.