Jye Haake: Nowra man charged with frightening carjacking, police pursuit

A Nowra man accused of leading police on a pursuit through the Southern Highlands with three other teenagers following the frightening carjacking of a rideshare driver in Sydney’s inner west has been granted bail.

A Nowra man accused of leading police on a pursuit through the Southern Highlands on Thursday morning with three other teenagers, following the frightening carjacking of a rideshare driver in Sydney’s inner west, has been granted bail.

Jye Haake, 18, appeared before Nowra Local Court on Friday charged with two counts of aggravated taking of a motor vehicle with a person inside while armed with a weapon, following the large-scale police operation on Thursday.

Two teens aged 16 and 17 were also charged and will appear before Nowra Children’s Court on Friday, while a third 17-year-old who was arrested at Narellan Police Station and charged with conveyance was also granted bail to appear before the Children’s Court on August 4.

The arrests come after a string of alleged carjackings in the early hours of Thursday at spots in both Sydney’s inner west and the South Coast.

The four teens allegedly threatened a 22-year-old rideshare driver in Marrickville at about 4am, before taking off with his car.

The driver was not injured.

Four hours later, around 8am, the car – a Toyota Prius – was found alight on Braidwood Rd, Sassafras, more than 200km away. The first officers at the scene put out the burning car and started a forensic examination.

Around 40 minutes later, officers attached to South Coast Police District received reports a motorist had picked up three hitchhikers on Braidwood Rd, Sassafras.

The three allegedly threatened the driver – a 73-year-old man – with a weapon before stealing his car.

A police pursuit then ensued between officers and the teenagers in the alleged stolen car, before it was found abandoned at Araluen Rd, Araluen. The three teenagers allegedly ran into nearby bushland in the small Southern Tablelands town to flee the cops.

The car, a Mazda sedan, was seized by officers at the scene.

Local officers and PolAir co-ordinated a large-scale aerial search of the area to find the alleged carjackers, finally locating them in an abandoned house in Reidsdale, just before 2pm.