A teenage girl who was sitting in the passenger seat of an allegedly stolen van as her friend led police on a high-speed pursuit died instantly when he crashed into a parked truck.
Police allege the boy, aged 17, stole a van in Ballan, northwest of Melbourne, at 2.30 on Tuesday afternoon just three hours after a home invasion in nearby Ballarat.
He led police on a wild chase along the Western Highway, which ended in tragedy just four minutes later when he collided with the truck at speeds of over 100km/h.
His passenger, 16-year-old local girl Jacqueline Vodden, died on impact. Friends have posted tributes describing her as a ‘beautiful angel’ taken too soon.
Pictured: Jacqueline Vodden, 16, died on impact when the car she was travelling in as a passenger slammed into a parked truck during a high-speed police chase
The male driver, 17, had allegedly stolen the Toyota Hiace van after a home invasion and was travelling at 100km/h before he crashed in Ballan, northwest of Melbourne. Police said the roof of the van ripped off ‘like opening a tin can’
Friends and family have posted tributes describing Jacqueline as a ‘beautiful angel’ taken too soon
Police said the roof of the Toyota Hiace van ripped off ‘like opening a tin can’ and blamed a ‘Fast and the Furious’ mentality among troubled teens in the area.
The driver, wanted over alleged vehicle theft and a home invasion, allegedly fled the scene of the horror crash with another male passenger and left his friend dead in the mangled truck.
Police arrested him later in the afternoon after he allegedly stole another car from a farmhouse and made his way to Wendouree, Ballarat.
He is under police guard in hospital, and police say they will be laying a number of ‘serious charges’ after an investigation by the major crash unit is carried out.
Speaking to 3AW Radio, Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Doug Fryer said the aftermath at the crash scene was horrific.
‘I attended the scene last night and it was a devastating scene spread over hundreds of metres. The carnage was quite incredible,’ he said.
He said a ‘hardcore element of young kids’ in the community had a ‘Fast and the Furious mentality’ where they ‘just lived for the moment’.
Police said a ‘hardcore element of young kids’ in the community had a ‘Fast and the Furious mentality’ where they ‘just lived for the moment’ (victim Jacqueline pictured)
The male driver, 17, allegedly responsible for the fatal crash
Assistant Commissioner Fryer defended the actions of the police officers involved in the high speed pursuit
Assistant Commissioner Fryer defended the actions of the police officers involved in the high speed pursuit.
‘They did what they needed to do. He made a conscious decision to run, and it was the wrong decision.
‘Stolen vehicle, wanted for a home invasion (where) people were home, we really needed to get hold of this guy. The community expected us to try and grab him.’
He said police were forced to make decisions on whether to engage in a pursuit, often involving teenagers, 13 times a day and 70 times a month.
Friends and family members took to Facebook to pay tribute to Jacqueline Vodden.
‘You didn’t deserve this, you had so much ahead of you,’ one wrote on social media.
‘I never realised how lost we would be without each other but it’s come true and (you’re) gone.’
A woman, believed to be Jacqueline’s mother, also expressed her heartbreak, writing: ‘I just want my baby back.
A woman, believed to be Jacqueline’s mother, also expressed her heartbreak, writing: ‘I just want my baby back
The high-speed pursuit, involving 16-year-old Jacqueline Vodder (pictured), a 17-year-old male driver and another male passenger, lasted just four minutes
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