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National | Accident

Driver still unknown in hit and run incident killing 16-year-old

Jacob Pakura's family and friends gathered in prayer today at the scene where the young Māori-Niuen boy was hit by a vehicle while skateboarding. The driver is still nowhere to be found.

"This person hit Jacob and they left, they hit our family, they don't know what they've taken away from us they don't know what an awesome person he was," says Jacob's mother Esther Pakura.

Several people have described to police hearing a car coming down the road at speed just prior to midnight on Saturday, January 14.

Inspector Trevor Beggs told the press "We know that Jacob received terrible injuries to his entire body and the driver involved will know without a doubt that they have hit somebody here."

Despite a public appeal yesterday for the driver to come forward, no one has done so yet. The incident happened Rua Road in New Lyn where Pakura was seen lying on the ground. Emergency units were called to the scene but were unable to save his life.

Pakura also had a hearing impairment. Both the family and police are pleading for any information. Jacob's older sister Jasmin Pakura shared words of both pain and frustration to the unknown driver through media today.

"You took away everything, you took away his future, you took away memories, you took away everything that this boy loved please give our family some closure and come forward."

Investigations have continued throughout the day, and Police have a broad range of enquiries underway. Officers have continued going door-to-door in the surrounding area, seeking to establish whether residents saw or heard anything.

Police have continued to gather and review CCTV footage from the area and are asking any residents with cameras on private property who have not already been spoken to by Police, to get in touch.

There are a number of forensic enquiries underway as a result of the scene examination.

"This person may now be acting in a strange or unusual way with behaviour that is out of character for them. Anyone who has a family member, flatmate or friend like this right now is asked to contact us immediately. No piece of information is considered too small," says Inspector Beggs.