It was restarted by another officer who spotted the man's car still travelling south toward Manaia.
"At approximately 7.55pm the police vehicle had travelled through Manaia and came across the Toyota vehicle which had crashed into a power pole near the Kearin Road intersection." The 36-year-old New Plymouth man was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died later in the evening.
Police said the crash was under investigation and the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) has been informed.
