Vandals plague crash site where two Auckland teenagers were killed

A crash site where two Auckland teenagers were killed is causing problems for police due to vandals.

Police said groups of between two and six suspected teenagers had trashed a building where teens Ella Berrington, 13, and Nathan Quirst, 17, were killed in a car crash last month.

Ella was a Year 9 student at Pakuranga, while Nathan was a student at Tāmaki College.

The pair were killed when their car slammed into a building on Pakuranga Rd about 4.30am on July 20.

They were found dead in the crashed car about three hours later. Police said speed was a factor and it was later found that the car had been reported stolen.

The car had veered off Pakuranga Rd and crashed into a building near Udys Rd and Johns Lane.

Police confirmed to the Herald teenagers had been gathering at the crash scene most nights and had vandalised the property.

In the last week-and-a-half, two fires had been lit under the building and the fire service had to be called. Mud had been thrown on windows and a nearby office was broken into and items stolen.

Tributes and messages have also been scrawled on the walls underneath the building.

Inspector Wendy Spiller, of Counties Manukau East Police said although activity had slowed down significantly in the last few days, there were now daily police patrols in the area.

"We have patrols deployed to that location in the evenings and overnight just to ensure that there's no further damage."

The building is occupied by a number of businesses, including a dentist's practice.

Spiller said police had received "numerous'' complaints from business owners in the area and were urging those regularly gathering at the site to respect their surroundings.

"We're more than happy for people to pay their respects on the berm at the location, but we don't want people trespassing into the underground car park itself.

"It's also a very busy stretch of road and we don't want motorists to be distracted by large groups on the berm as well. We're very conscious of people keeping themselves safe in that regard."

No arrests have been made in relation to the vandalism, but police indicated they were prepared to make arrests if necessary.