Whangārei house hit by airborne car; driver flees crash scene

Fortunately the occupant was not home when this damage was caused by the Kensington car crash. Photos / Denise Piper

Sheer luck is all that stopped residents from being seriously hurt when a speeding car went airborne, flying over a Whangārei property before crashing through the roof.

Police say they were “incredibly fortunate” not to be dealing with any deaths as a result.

Whangārei resident Ruby, who asked that her surname not be used, was sleeping in her unit in Millers Lane, Kensington, when she was woken by a thud late last night.

Having heard about previous crashes at the property, she got up to see her neighbour’s unit devastated by the impact of the crash.

Her neighbour was fortunately not home, as he was staying in hospital for an unrelated matter.

Police confirmed a vehicle came off the road on Mill Rd, collided with a fence, then went through the roof of a house at high speed.

Police told Ruby they thought the car was going at least 180km/h at the time of the crash.

She believed the car flew over her unit before landing on her neighbour’s unit.

The car flew over the first half of the property where Ruby was sleeping, before crashing through the second half. Photo / Denise Piper

A piece of fence came through the roof of Ruby’s house, embedding itself into the ceiling in her garage, but fortunately missing where she was sleeping.

Senior Sergeant and Whangārei area response manager Rene Rakete said it was incredibly fortunate police were not dealing with any fatalities and that the home had been unoccupied.

He said a police dog handler had tried unsuccessfully to track down the vehicle’s occupants, who had not yet been found.

The driver was believed to have fled the crash.

A piece of fence came through Ruby's roof, becoming embedded in her garage ceiling. Photo / Denise Piper

Rakete said police were continuing to investigate the crash.

Ruby said Whangārei District Council needed to put up protective barriers around the property, to stop cars crashing into it.

She said this was at least the third time a car had come crashing down on to the property, and residents have long advocated for some protection.

Whangārei District Council has been approached for comment.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.