NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Timaru car crash: No charges laid as two month anniversary of horror crash nears

Anna Leask
By Anna Leask
Senior Journalist - crime and justice·NZ Herald·
27 Sep, 2021 08:02 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The lost boys: Joseff McCarthy, Niko Hill, Javarney Drummond, Andrew Goodger and Jack Wallace (not pictured) died in a crash in Timaru on August 7. Photo / Supplied

The lost boys: Joseff McCarthy, Niko Hill, Javarney Drummond, Andrew Goodger and Jack Wallace (not pictured) died in a crash in Timaru on August 7. Photo / Supplied

It has been seven weeks since a crash that killed five Timaru teenagers and the police investigation is ongoing with no word on whether the driver and only remaining survivor will face charges.

Javarney Wayne Drummond, 15; Niko William Hill, 15; Jack "Jacko" Wallace, 16; Joseff "Joey" McCarthy, 16; and Andrew Goodger, 15, were all killed when the Nissan Bluebird they were travelling in smashed into a concrete power pole on August 6.

The impact was so severe, it sliced the car in half.

Tributes have been left at the scene of the crash. Photo / George Heard
Tributes have been left at the scene of the crash. Photo / George Heard

Only the driver, 19-year-old Tyreese Fleming, who was on a restricted licence, survived the smash.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was taken to Timaru Hospital with moderate injuries and was well enough to post a message on social media the next day to let people know he was alive.

He was discharged from hospital a week after the crash.

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said today there was no update to the investigation and no one had been charged at this stage.

He told the Herald soon after the crash that the investigation may take some time as officers pieced together what happened on the fateful night.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said speed and alcohol were thought to be factors in the crash, and it was clear many in the car were not wearing seatbelts.

One of the boys was in the boot when the car hit the pole.

Gaskin did not disclose today if police had interviewed Fleming.

A service was held in memory of all five boys last week in Timaru. Photo / George Heard
A service was held in memory of all five boys last week in Timaru. Photo / George Heard

"We won't be speaking to the driver until we have got a little bit more information - obviously the investigation is very early days at the moment, and it would be better to speak to him when we have as much information as possible," he said last month.

Discover more

New Zealand

Timaru crash: Decision on charges could be months away

09 Aug 11:30 PM
New Zealand

Timaru car crash: Families prepare for funerals, friends lay tributes in aftermath of horror crash

10 Aug 08:52 PM
New Zealand

Timaru car crash: Community invited to service to remember five lives lost

11 Aug 04:00 AM
New Zealand

Timaru crash that killed teens one of 13 with five or more victims

13 Aug 05:00 PM

Neither Fleming nor his parents have responded to the Herald's multiple requests for comment.

A woman who arrived at the crash scene soon after the impact spoke about how she found Fleming in the wreckage.

Melissa Bryce said the first thing she saw was the rear half of the car.

She saw two people in the back.

Stephen Drummond with his son Javarney's coffin which he painted for the teen's farewell. Photo / George Heard
Stephen Drummond with his son Javarney's coffin which he painted for the teen's farewell. Photo / George Heard

She called out, asking if anyone could hear her. Nobody responded.

"Just by looking at the scene you could tell they hadn't survived," Bryce told the Herald from her home today.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But from somewhere in the darkness behind her, a voice said: "How the f*** did I survive this?"

"That's when I realised there was a survivor," Bryce said.

She went back to her car to grab her phone, wanting to use it as a torch.

After turning it on the scene, she saw the front part of the car.

The driver was still in the vehicle. She is unsure if he had a seatbelt on.

She went up to him and told him her name and asked if he realised what had happened.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Melissa Bryce. Photo / George Heard
Melissa Bryce. Photo / George Heard

Bryce asked the driver, who was clutching his cellphone, to turn off the car's ignition.

"He was in shock, you could tell," Bryce said.

"He was able to tell me that, yes, he had been in an accident and then kept saying, 'How did I survive?'

"I just kept talking to him, asking his name, his age, where did he work, what were the plans for tonight, and everything like that. Just making sure he made contact with me, to keep him awake."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Olympics

'World-leading': New study addresses concussion risks for female athletes

08 Jul 09:12 PM
New Zealand

'Incorrectly coded': Ambulance arrives four hours after 111 call to find woman dead

08 Jul 09:00 PM
New Zealand

Man charged after 4WD rams police car during traffic stop

08 Jul 08:48 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Incorrectly coded': Ambulance arrives four hours after 111 call to find woman dead

'Incorrectly coded': Ambulance arrives four hours after 111 call to find woman dead

08 Jul 09:00 PM

She was struggling to breathe on the morning of Christmas Eve when she called for help.

Man charged after 4WD rams police car during traffic stop

Man charged after 4WD rams police car during traffic stop

08 Jul 08:48 PM
Christchurch city councillors bidding for re-election and Tracks changes after Tegan Chen drowning

Christchurch city councillors bidding for re-election and Tracks changes after Tegan Chen drowning

New study questions impact of EV's on our health

New study questions impact of EV's on our health

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP