A senior Auckland police officer has spoken of his regret and sadness at the frequency with which teenage joyriding has "tragic outcomes".
Counties Manukau Police Inspector Dave Simpson fronted the media this afternoon after it was revealed the driver who died after a car collided with a tree during a police chase in Otara this morning was a 15-year-old.
Compounding the tragic outcome, it was also revealed that the teenager, Morocco Tai, was a passenger in a car that travelled the wrong way up an Auckland motorway last month.
"This is an all too common event and it really has to stop," Inspector Simpson said.
"This sort of event affects the lives of so many people.
"The previous motorway incident for instance is a good example, literally hundreds of members of the public had their lives affected that day when that car was out of control.
"It's a difficult situation, what young people see is joy riding, today's events show there can be tragic outcomes."
Three people were trapped in the Otara car crash this morning, with the driver, Morocco Tai, died at the scene.
The stolen car crashed into a tree on Bairds Rd in Otara about 6am after failing to stop for police. The driver had absconded from hospital, Tamariki Ora told 1 NEWS, where he had been after been apprehended by police in September.
Two other female occupants of the car in this morning's crash were taken to hospital.
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