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Campervan stolen with owner and cat still inside in New Zealand

09.07.2026 03:13 2 min 4 sources
RNZ ENG + 3 more
Campervan stolen with owner and cat still inside in New Zealand
Original source: RNZ

In Brief

A 28-year-old woman allegedly stole a parked campervan in Whakatāne, New Zealand, unaware that the owner and his cat were sleeping inside. The man woke up, called police, and remained inside until the vehicle stopped due to a mechanical fault. The suspect was arrested.

In Whakatāne, New Zealand, a 28-year-old woman allegedly stole a parked campervan on 5 February 2026 around 8:50 pm on Sea View Road, not noticing that the owner and his cat were sleeping in the back.

The man woke up from the movement, demanded she stop, but the suspect continued driving towards Ohope. Following police instructions, he stayed on the bed holding onto the sink without a seatbelt. Police followed at a distance until the campervan stopped due to a mechanical fault on Wainui Road.

The owner and cat were unharmed. The suspect appeared in court on 6 February and was remanded in custody until 10 June.

Aggregated by OpenVan.camp from the public sources listed below, with AI-assisted translation and summary. We always link to the original source. Machine translation may differ from the original -- check the source for important details. Images and content remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright information

Story sources

Campervan stolen with owner and cat still inside

08.05.2026 RNZ ENG Original source

Woman arrested for stealing motorhome with sleeping man and his cat in New Zealand

07.05.2026 52hrtt.com ZHO Original source

Woman charged after camper stolen with man and cat still inside

07.05.2026 1News ISL Original source

Camper stolen with man and cat inside

07.05.2026 NZ Herald ISL Original source

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Updated: 18.07.2026

Regular 91

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100

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cheaper than 53% of countries

LPG

$1.13 /l

NZD1.94 · €0.99/l

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