Dying man, 60, robbed

As bystanders gave a dying man CPR on a Waihi street, thieves stole the man’s wallet and phone.

Now the dead man’s family want his belongings back and locals are appealing to the culprits to ‘‘do the right thing’’.

Last Wednesday afternoon Glenis Gentil was upstairs at the Gold FM offices in Waihi when she heard a car engine continuously revving loudly from below. Her husband Brian Gentil went downstairs to have a look and found the driver, a local 60-year-old man suffering what is believed to have been a heart attack, his foot still on the accelerator.

Gentil said passersby and staff from local shops pulled the man onto the street and began CPR until the local fire service and ambulance arrived. ‘‘When they put him in the ambulance he had a mask on and we were rapt, we thought the CPR had worked. Apparently it was touch and go a couple of times but his heart had been brought back from the brink.’’

The man was whisked to Morgan Park where he was picked up by the Auckland and Coromandel Westpac Rescue and flown to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition, but he died a short time later.

Somewhere amongst the confusion Gentil said an opportunist stole the man’s wallet and phone.

’’This man was dying on the street. It’s a pretty shocking thing to do.’’

After hearing of the incident Gentil was contacted by a close friend of the man’s family, who are devastated by what has occurred.

Waihi police Senior Constable Scott Tyrrell said police had identified the alleged thieves as a 23-year-old woman and 25-year-old man from Napier.

‘‘This is pretty disgusting sort of behaviour. It was a pretty traumatic and chaotic scene. Those there were doing vigorous CPR and did a brilliant job, they actually managed to revive the man’’.

Police were still working to find out how much cash the victim had in his wallet as that would determine the charges police laid.

Anyone with information i contact the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.