Early morning Rotorua police chase ends in crash, family lucky to be alive

Cheyenne Taia, pictured with son Jayme, 2, says they are lucky to be alive after a fleeing car crashed into their house. Photo / Ben Fraser

A young mum and her family's quiet night was shattered by two loud bangs when a car fleeing police crashed into their car. The family shot out of bed just before 3am and as day broke the reality of how lucky they were to be alive became evident. Skid marks, a scraped tree and a once-airborne car on its side showed the aftermath of a police pursuit. Young mum Cheyenne Taia tells Cira Olivier how her car saved her life.

A young family is lucky to be alive after a car fleeing police crashed into their parked car just stopping it from crashing into the bedroom of a mother and sleeping toddler.

Cheyenne Taia, who was asleep next to the window with her 2-year-old, was shocked by the carnage just before 3am.

Startled by two loud bangs, she immediately looked out her bedroom window, which her car was parked in front of, to see a car flipped on its side against her now written off Mitsubishi.

The commotion woke everyone in the house: her, her three sons and the border.

"The whole household was freaking out," she said.

"That could've killed us."

Her car had been slammed into and pushed up against the house.

"That car saved us. If it wasn't there we would've gotten squashed," she said.

When she looked into the crashed car there wasn't anyone in there.

"They must have jumped out up there [on the grass]. There was no one in the car when it flipped."

Taia lives in a block of flats on the corner of Clayton Rd and Susan St. The bottom storey is below road level.

Cheyenne Taia's parked car was crashed into by fleeing car this morning. Photo / Supplied

When the sun rose, she could see the full extent of the damage.

There were skid marks along the road and tearing across grass.

The car appeared to have scraped against a tree before driving over the roof of a carport in line with the grass, before becoming airborne.

The path of destruction ends at Taia's car which stopped the vehicle from carrying on into her bedroom.

When she spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post this morning she had not been to sleep and had already moved her bed out of the room.

Damage to the property. Photo / Ben Fraser

"It's horrifying. Just thinking about the fact it could've turned out ugly ... Me and my baby were sleeping in my bed up against the window.

"I don't want to be in this house any more because it could happen again."

Cheyenne Taia's parked car was crashed into by fleeing car this morning. Photo / Supplied

Taia said her neighbour, who had lived there for 20 years, told her it was the third time a car had gone over the edge of the lawn - the last time it had gone through the house.

The family had lived in the house for two years but Taia said if they could find another rental they would move.

Her two older sons, aged 10 and 11 were quiet and on edge this morning, continually looking out the window.

Cheyenne Taia's parked car was crashed into by fleeing car this morning. Photo / Supplied

Police arrived within a few minutes.

A police spokesman said police had located a "vehicle of interest" on Spinel Pl earlier.

The vehicle fled from police resulting in the crash about 3am. No injuries were reported and no arrests had been made.

Inquiries were ongoing.