A CCTV image of the stolen car (foreground) that was involved in a hit and run on Waiwhetu Road from Whites Line East. Photo: NZ Police
Police have located the vehicle used in a fatal hit-and-run in Lower Hutt but are still urging the driver to come forward.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Naenae Road, Naenae at 5.50am on Thursday.
Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said a woman was hit by a vehicle and the driver did not stop. The woman died at the scene.
The vehicle, a dark-gray Mazda 6 sedan, was stolen from an address in Belmont in the early hours of the morning and was located on Waddington Drive in Naenae at 12.20pm, she said.
Ryan urged the vehicle's driver to come forward.
"The driver of that vehicle will know they have hit a person, and in all likelihood they will be panicking right now," she said in a statement.
"I urge the driver or any occupant of that vehicle to come forward and speak to us, as we want to understand the events that have led to this tragedy."
Ryan said the vehicle was being driven erratically and speeding for several hours around the Hutt Valley prior to the tragic incident and continued to do so after hitting the victim.
Police wanted to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle in the Hutt Valley leading up to or after the incident, she said.
"Following the collision, the vehicle was seen to be smoking heavily and would have been showing visible damage. The way it has been driven would draw significant attention."
CCTV footage showed the vehicle turning into Waiwhetu Road from Whites Line East and it was driving north on Naenae Road at the time the victim was hit, she said.
Police are seeking CCTV or dashcam footage from Naenae Road between 5.40am and 5.50am.
The scene of the crash at Naenae Road, Lower Hutt. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
On Thursday morning, a black tent was set up on the road between Riverside Drive North and Waddington Drive.
Police set up a number of evidence markers across the street where the crash took place.
About 10 officers were at the scene of the crash and some were taking photos for evidence.
Police said enquiries to establish the events leading up to the incident were ongoing.
Police set up a tent a the scene of the crash on Naenae Road, Lower Hutt. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
A resident of Naenae Road said he was watching the cricket when he and his wife heard a loud thump outside.
After hearing sirens, he went outside and saw a person lying on the ground about 50m from their house.
There were about eight police cars at the scene just after 6am, he said.
He said after the forensic team arrived, police asked neighbours for CCTV footage of what happened.
Another resident, Jennifer said there has been an increase in trucks using the road and people driving at high speeds.
She would like to see speed bumps constructed on the road.
She said she was awoken by the sound of police sirens at 6am.
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry said it was an "absolute tragedy."
"One person who lived in proximity to the incident that I've spoken to just said it was a real shock to see so many police in the aftermath of what happened."
Barry said his thoughts were with the family of the woman who had died.
He said the person who did not stop after the incident needed to come forward: "That is the right thing to do here, and it is the only option."
He asked anyone with information on the crash to pass it on to police.
