IT WAS little more than a bump in the night which got a Glenfield resident out of bed at 1am yesterday.
In fact it was a stolen car which smashed into a light post at the front of her house before it landed with a thud in her driveway.
Resident Sue Oakman had been sleeping peacefully when she was abruptly woken by the sound of police sirens. The officers gave chase when they saw the Holden Commodore being driven “erratically” around the suburb of Glenfield shortly before 1am.
The Wagga Highway Patrol signalled to the car to pull over, but alleged the driver failed to stop.
Officers say the car reached speeds in excess of 100km/h on roads zoned at 50km/h. The driver lost control on a left turn from Karoom Drive and crashed into a light post on Dalman Parkway. “I couldn’t see what had happened at first because the police had their high beams on. I didn’t realise it was in our front yard,” Ms Oakman said.
“I heard a noise like a thud – I thought ‘oh my God, what’s happened’.”
Within minutes of the crash, police had arrested 31-year-old Alan John Albert Johnson, who had tried to escape. Police are still searching for the passenger who fled.
Johnson faced Wagga Local Court yesterday on charges of theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified and dangerous driving. He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused by Magistrate Anthony Murray.