A person who told family they were trapped in a vehicle with someone they had only just met was found uninjured after the driver allegedly fled police and crashed south of Tauranga.

Senior Sergeant Roger Schreuder said police were contacted just before 1am on August 28 by a caller concerned for a family member.

The family member reported they were travelling in a vehicle between Tauranga and Hamilton with a person they had recently met, but the driver allegedly would not stop to let them out.

Police used the family member’s phone location to track the vehicle and maintained sight of it using available street cameras.

At 2.40am, Schreuder said officers spotted the vehicle travelling north on State Highway 29, south of Tauriko, and signalled the driver to stop.

A short pursuit was initiated.

“The pursuit was abandoned after police lost sight of the vehicle,” Schreuder said.

Officers continued along the vehicle’s likely route and found it had crashed into a power box on Te Paeroa Rd.

The victim was still with the vehicle and was uninjured, Schreuder said.

He said the driver allegedly fled on foot but was tracked by a police dog unit and taken into custody.

A 23-year-old man faced dangerous driving and failing to stop charges in Tauranga District Court.

Police are not ruling out further charges.