Newmarket burglary: Man arrested after red-light dash and wrong-way chase

A man linked to stealing a restaurant safe was arrested after running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road in Newmarket.

Police said the “dangerous dash” through the red lights foiled the man’s getaway from the burglary.

The man came to police attention in Newmarket just after 10am yesterday.

Sergeant Lindsey Dawson, from Newmarket police, said a camera operator based in Newmarket saw a ute running through several red lights and travelling on the wrong side of the road, into oncoming traffic on Broadway.

“This information was relayed to police, with the ute eventually being located parked up, hidden at the rear of a motel on Owens Rd in Epsom,” Dawson said.

Dawson said a man matching the description of the driver was seen exiting one of the units and was quickly taken into custody.

“The ute matched the description of a vehicle seen casing out several Newmarket businesses earlier in the morning,” Dawson said.

Dawson said the police established that a burglary occurred at a Newmarket restaurant off Khyber Pass Rd just prior to 10am, where a safe was taken.

After being spoken to, the man led police to the location where the safe had been stashed, and the cash was still inside, Dawson said.

The 53-year-old man was in the Auckland District Court today facing charges of burglary and dangerous driving.

Dawson said police will oppose bail for the accused.

“It’s a fantastic result, thanks to the watchful eye of the Newmarket camera operator in collaboration with police, along with good old police work in locating the ute, which means we’ve been able to hold the man accountable for poor driving behaviour and a burglary,” Dawson said.

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