Samaritan’s taxi stolen

An Auckland taxi driver watched as his car was stolen by a man who flagged him down, saying he’d suffered a seizure.

The drama unfolded shortly before midnight on Browns Bay Rd on May 3.

“I assumed he wanted to grab a ride in my taxi, but he said to me, ‘I’ve had a seizure, can you call an ambulance’.”

The taxi driver, who asked not to be named, called 111, and let the man sit in the back seat of his car.

The keys were in the ignition to keep the heater on for the man, who said he was cold.

When he asked for water, the driver went to the boot to fetch a bottle — only to see the man jump into the driver’s seat and take off.

“As the car went around the corner the ambulance showed up.” Ambulance staff stayed with the driver for a few minutes before police showed up.

The incident was captured on a dashcam.

In later footage police sirens can be heard as the taxi drove down the Northern Motorway. Moments afterwards, the car hit road spikes and wobbled wildly, before coming to a stop near the harbour bridge. The driver’s taxi was badly damaged and is having its wheels and suspension fixed.

“Luckily insurance have been very helpful,” he said. A police spokeswoman said, “The alleged offender was taken into custody and taken to hospital claiming he had taken synthetic cannabis.”

A 25-year-old faces charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, failing to stop for police and dangerous driving.