Teenager killed, four hospitalised after stolen car crashes during police chase in NSW
A 17-year-old died at the scene in Scone; three minors and an adult woman were treated at John Hunter Hospital as police open a critical incident probe
A 17-year-old boy was killed and four other people were taken to hospital after a stolen car crashed during a police pursuit on the New England Highway near Scone in New South Wales just before midnight on Saturday, police said.
Police said they began a pursuit after the vehicle was seen travelling at high speed and the driver failed to stop. The car crashed about 100 metres north of Makybe Diva Street at Scone. Emergency crews treated occupants at the scene; one front-seat passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paramedics freed the driver and a front-seat passenger from the wreckage. The driver, a 14-year-old boy, was airlifted to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital. Three other occupants — two boys aged 14 and 17 and a 25-year-old woman — were also taken to hospital and were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Based on initial information, police said the three boys are from the Tamworth area and the woman is from the Newcastle area. Authorities believe the car was stolen from a Wallsend business on Saturday afternoon.
The NSW Police Force has classified the incident as a critical incident and launched a formal probe, a step taken when people are seriously injured or die during or shortly after police contact or police operations. Investigators are continuing inquiries into the circumstances of the pursuit, the cause of the crash and the vehicle’s theft.
Ambulance NSW and local rescue crews responded to the crash, treating multiple patients at the scene before hospital transfer. John Hunter Hospital, a major tertiary and trauma centre for the Hunter region, received the airlifted driver and other injured occupants for further assessment and care.
Road trauma remains a leading cause of death and injury for young people in Australia, and incidents involving high-speed pursuits and stolen vehicles frequently prompt scrutiny from police and emergency services. Police did not provide further details about charges or the condition of those in hospital beyond describing their injuries as non-life-threatening.
Inquiries are ongoing and police urged anyone with information or dashcam footage from the New England Highway near Aberdeen and Scone on Saturday night to contact investigators.