Twist as Sydney man admits to chasing teens who’d stolen his car before fatal crash

Mazen Kabbara could be jailed after admitting to chasing three teenagers who had stolen his car in Sydney’s west, before two of them died in a gruesome crash.

A Sydney man who chased down three teenagers after they had stolen his car before two of the teens died in a high-speed crash could be jailed after pleading guilty to a string of charges.

Mazen Kabbara’s legal team initially said he was going to fight his charges after being arrested over the pursuit in November 2020, but in a twist to the unusual legal case the 38-year-old is now facing possible jail time after pleading guilty to two counts of negligent driving occasioning death.

Kabbara’s guilty pleas come after prosecutors recently dropped two counts of the more serious charge of dangerous driving occasioning death against him in court.

Two teen brothers died following the chase in November 2020. Picture: Adam Yip/Second Story

Friends of the teens left teddy bears at the scene. Picture: Monique Harmer

Agreed facts state Kabbara saw a Toyota Camry doing laps of his street outside his Edmondson Park home before he watched his Holden Commodore being driven away by people unknown to him late at night.

Kabbara entered his other car, a Holden Acadia, to look for them as his wife, Mirjana Kabbara, called police to tell them the Commodore had been stolen and that her husband was pursuing the vehicle.

A wild chase through western Sydney streets then took place between Kabbara in his Acadia and three teenage boys in his stolen Commodore.

A Toyota Camry tried to intercept Kabbara, but he stayed on the tail of the Commodore and hit the rear of the stolen vehicle when it braked.

At one point Kabbara was seen driving only 1.5 metres behind the Commodore at high speed after its occupants had hurled objects at him.

The Commodore was doing more than 150km/h when it lost control and smashed heavily into a pole in Abbotsbury – about 15km away from Kabbara’s Edmondson Park home.

Two of the teens inside the Commodore who were brothers were thrown from the vehicle and both suffered fatal injuries, the eldest of whom was behind the wheel.

Emergency crews look at the carnage. Picture: Adam Yip/Second Story

The court documents state the driver’s seat was thrown about 20 metres from the Commodore. There was no damage to the car’s seat belts, indicating that they were not being used prior to the crash, according to the fact sheet.

The third teen, 17, stumbled out of the wreckage but was unable to walk after suffering serious injuries.

Kabbara braked just before the roundabout and flashed his lights in order to attract the attention of other motorists so they could contact police as he did not have a mobile phone on him. He stopped at the crash site as a witness called police.

Officers later uncovered a beer bottle in the stolen Commodore.

The fact sheet states Kabbara’s driving, including how close he drove behind the stolen Commodore, involved a “significant degree of departure from the standards expected from a reasonably prudent driver”.

Kabbara, who is out on bail, is next listed to appear in Campbelltown Local Court in December.

He has also pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

The father of the two teen brothers, aged 15 and 17, previously said he was devastated over their deaths.

“I loved them, they were my sons,” the father had said from his hometown of Turangi on New Zealand’s North Island.

He also showed the final texts one of his sons sent him only hours before the crash.

“Imma head off now and get some rest. Love u dad take care,” the message read. “Love u my son,” the father replied.