A resident of a street where a person was killed says they could hear a vehicle roaring up a hill before it struck something and returned to hit it again.
A police cordon remains in place outside a long driveway in the quiet Lanham Lane cul-de-sac in West Auckland where a man died on a driveway on Wednesday night.
Forensic investigators are collecting evidence and placing markers on the driveway where the victim was fatally struck.
A resident told the Herald she heard a loud vehicle driving at speed before sirens began.
“We heard this car roar up the hill here. He sort of hit something, then he went back and hit it again.”
She said the driver was “driving like something else”.
“Eventually he took off.”
“We were here at the time. The police sirens were going and it went on and on.”
She said it wasn’t until a neighbour rang that she realised a man had been killed.
“I feel for the man, he sort of kept to himself … sometimes he’d wave.”
Another resident said he heard a vehicle making a lot of noise and then saw a large off-road vehicle pass by his house.
“I thought it was someone doing skids around the cul-de-sac, but then it sounded like someone driving back and forth.
“I was wondering what the sound was.”
The neighbour said it went on for up to 10 minutes.
“Then I found out through police someone might have died.
“It’s pretty scary, to be honest.
“They saw me standing here when they drove past.”
One of the neighbours was asking to call an ambulance and yelling.
“It’s pretty rough,” he said.
Another resident arrived home about 10 minutes after the incident.
“There was a fire engine, multiple police and two ambulances.
“I’m a bit shaken because I’m not used to this type of thing around here.
“I’m not nearly as shaken as some of the other neighbours.”
Her husband had been at home and gave police a statement.
She said he was “shaken” by what he witnessed and did not sleep well last night.
This morning, police said a man had been charged with murder after the incident.
Police responded to reports a car hit a man on the driveway about 6.50pm on Tuesday.
Police found the car in Avondale last night, Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Williams said.
The alleged driver was arrested in Thames, Coromandel, 128km from the crime scene.
The 37-year-old is due to appear in the Waitākere District Court today.
Police were not looking for anybody else in connection with the death.
Williams said the victim and the arrested man knew each other.
Williams said the alleged driver left the scene immediately after hitting the man.
“Sadly, despite the best efforts of ambulance staff, the victim succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” he said.
Williams asked anybody with information to contact police and reference file number 241210/4122. Tips can also be offered anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Herald saw 12 police vehicles at the scene for several hours after the initial call-out.
A scene guard was stationed outside overnight and a police tent erected on the driveway.
Specialist police staff remained, including a forensic photographer and Serious Crash Unit members, as detectives wearing coveralls worked in the driveway.
Investigators were using radar technology to create a digital recreation of the crime scene.
cul-de-sac residents watched from their windows as the police investigation continued into the evening.
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Jaime Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021, as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.
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