Missing man was not in the car during Desert Road crash that killed three people

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

Police have found a man they initially believed was involved in the Desert Road crash.

Three people died and two were seriously injured near Waiouru.

Police confirmed he was never in the car and the investigation is ongoing.

A man police initially believed was in a vehicle involved in Monday’s triple-fatal Desert Road crash was not in the car at time of the incident, police confirmed on Tuesday.

A search was launched on Monday amid the wild tussock country of the central North Island the to find the man after the deadly crash, an unusual twist to the worst single incident in a “horror” King’s Birthday weekend on our roads.

“Directly after the crash, police believed one person was possibly unaccounted for,” a police spokesperson said.

“A search and rescue operation was launched in the event that they were nearby and potentially injured.

“Police separately were making follow-up enquiries to establish if they were, in fact, elsewhere at the time of the crash - which ended up being the case.”

Police confirmed on Monday afternoon that the man had been located and that officers were speaking with him.

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Three people died and two others were seriously injured in the two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 near Waiouru about 2.55am on Monday.

When Stuff visited the crash site on Tuesday, remnants of the wreckage remained scattered along the roadside, including a Mazda grille and part of a car stereo system.

Ruapehu District Council Mayor Weston Kirton said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life from this tragedy in our district” and offered his condolences to the families affected.

“The road itself is remote and sometimes tricky in winter conditions,” he said.

The crash prompted a major emergency response involving police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John and New Zealand Defence Force emergency responders from nearby Waiouru Military Camp.

Hato Hone St John said one patient was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital in a serious condition and another was transported to Whanganui Hospital, also in a serious condition.

The investigation into what happened remains ongoing.

The crash was one of several fatal crashes attended by emergency services over the King’s Birthday weekend.

Police described it as part of a “horror night” on New Zealand roads.

“One person died in a crash in Wairakei, one on Waiheke, and tragically, three people were killed in a crash in Waiouru,” Superintendent Steve Greally said on Monday.

“That is absolutely gutting.”

The Desert Road crash was the second fatal crash in the wider Waiouru area in little more than a month. On April 27, three people died after a car crossed the centre line and collided with a tanker truck on State Highway 1 near Waiouru.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Monday’s crash.