Serious Single Vehicle Crash: Two Men Arrested, Child Injured

Two men have been arrested and will face Penrith Court later this month following a severe car crash at Cranebrook involving a child. Police said that immediately following the crash two men arrived at the scene and placed a third occupant into a shopping trolley before leaving. 

Yesterday evening, at approximately 7:30 PM on Thursday, August 31, 2023, emergency services responded to distress calls regarding a vehicle that had collided with a tree at the intersection of Pendock Road and Sherringham Road in Cranebrook. The collision was so severe that it caused the vehicle to catch fire. Bystanders rescued the three male occupants from the wreckage.

The responding Fire and Rescue NSW team extinguished the vehicle fire.

Police said that prior to the arrival of emergency responders, one of the vehicle’s occupants departed the scene on foot and was last spotted along Pendock Road. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy who had also been in the vehicle sustained injuries. He was treated on-site by NSW Ambulance paramedics and subsequently transported to Nepean Hospital due to a broken leg and hip injuries.

Nepean Police Area Command officers established a secure crime scene. It came to their attention that immediately after the crash, two men arrived at the scene and placed a third occupant into a shopping trolley before leaving. The sequence of events took an unexpected turn when NSW Ambulance paramedics received a distress call from a residence on Rosannah Way in Cranebrook.

At the residence, a man was audibly distressed from within the premises, prompting paramedics to seek access. Their entry was denied, leading them to call upon the police for assistance. The situation escalated as the police were similarly barred from entering the premises. Out of concern for the man’s well-being, officers from the Public Order Riot Squad made a forcible entry into the residence.

Inside, a confrontational encounter unfolded between the officers and the two men, aged 40 and 55, who were alleged to have hindered the police’s actions. Officers resorted to using capsicum spray. A Taser was also used on an aggressive dog. The injured man was located inside the residence. He was attended to by paramedics for a broken leg and head lacerations before being transferred to Westmead Hospital. His identity remains undisclosed, and mandatory tests have been conducted.

Both the 40-year-old and 55-year-old men were taken into custody and transported to Mt Druitt Police Station. They are now facing charges for obstructing or resisting a police officer during the execution of their duties. Both men have been granted conditional bail and are scheduled to appear at Penrith Local Court for separate hearings. The older man is set to appear on Thursday, September 14, 2023, while the younger one is expected to face court on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

Further investigation has revealed that the vehicle involved in the crash had been stolen from a residence in Cranebrook during a break-in that occurred around 3:45 AM on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The occupants of the home were asleep during the incident and remained undisturbed.

Presently, the 12-year-old boy and the other injured man are both in a stable but serious condition. The dog involved in the incident emerged unharmed and was entrusted to the care of a neighbour.

Specialist personnel from the Crash Investigation Unit have launched an inquiry to ascertain the events leading up to the collision and to identify the driver of the stolen vehicle.

Anyone with information about the crash – or has any dashcam or mobile phone footage – are urged to contact Penrith Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.