Two men charged over alleged violent carjacking rampage between Townsville and Cairns

A new mum has recounted the “scary” experience of learning her car was allegedly stolen from her home and used in a three-day crime rampage across Cairns and Townsville.

A new mum has recounted the “scary” experience of learning her car was allegedly stolen from her home and used in a three-day crime rampage across Cairns and Townsville.

Danielle Monteith‘s Grand Jeep Cherokee is now sitting in a police yard after it was allegedly stolen by a 21-year-old man and 18-year-old man and driven up to Cairns.

“We have a one-year-old, so it was pretty scary knowing there was people inside our house and he was just down the hall,” Ms Monteith said.

She said the car, which was purchased in February, was meant to be the couple’s family car.

“That was my daily family car. It had my car seat, pram and all my baby stuff in it,” she said.

“We do have a backup car which I’m currently driving but it’s a four-wheel-drive that we bought cheap to fix before I was pregnant, and it needs a lot of work done on it to be safe to drive with a kid in it.”

While the Grand Jeep Cherokee remains impounded by Cairns police, Ms Monteith said one silver lining was the community support received from family, friends and total strangers.

Townsville resident Danielle Monteith and her partner bought a 2019 Grand Jeep Cherokee in February this year following the birth of their son. The car was allegedly stolen from their home on December 9 and allegedly driven to Cairns. Photo: Supplied.

A Townsville family have been left shaken after their car was allegedly stolen from their Kirwan home just after midnight on December 9, before it was driven to Cairns and allegedly used in a fuel theft and assault. Picture: Facebook.

“Even in Cairns, so many people have been so fantastic to help us, we’ve had people offering to collect our stuff and hold it until we can get to Cairns,” she said.

“The amount of havoc that they (allegedly) wreaked in 24 hours … I’m kind of glad knowing we did sleep through it.”

Police charged a 21-year-old man and an 18-year-old man in relation to the incident, after it was alleged the pair stole a Toyota LandCruiser from a Mooroobool address and drove to Townsville on December 7.

Police captured one of the men outside the Raintrees Shopping Centre. Picture: QPS

It will be further alleged the men forced a 69-year-old woman from her Toyota C-HR from an Aitkenvale shopping centre carpark on December 8, and allegedly assaulted a 30-year-old bystander who came to her aid, before allegedly attempting to steal another car from a woman at Aitkenvale a few hours later.

Police allege two men aged 18 and 21, broke into a Townsville home and stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee which they drove to Cairns, before using it to allegedly complete a fuel drive off in Brinsmead. Picture: Facebook.

Following this, the pair allegedly broke through fire doors at a Ross River Road department store and attempted to enter the shop before setting off alarms and fleeing.

Just after midnight on December 9 the men broke into Ms Monteith’s Kirwan home where they stole allegedly stole the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The alleged offenders drove the Jeep back to Cairns where it will be alleged the men used it to perform a fuel drive-off from a Brinsmead Road service station just after 11am on December 9.

The other man was arrested while trying cross McCoombe St. Picture: QPS

Police then allege the same car was used to block the path of a Hyundai I30 at the corner of Tills and Mann streets around 11.30am, before forcing a 39-year-old women and a 35-year-old man from the car and fleeing the area in the Hyundai.

The men then allegedly attempted to steal another vehicle from a woman at the Piccones Village On Pease St car park around 4pm, but were unsuccessful as her car was locked.

The men allegedly fled and were eventually apprehended by police at Raintrees Shopping Centre car park.

Both men have each been charged with four counts of unlawful use of motor vehicle, two of attempted unlawful entry of motor vehicle, and one count each of robbery in company with violence, assault occasioning bodily harm, unlawful entry of vehicle using violence, stealing and wilful damage.

They have been denied bail and will appear before the Cairns Magistrates Court today, 10 December.

Investigations into the incidents are ongoing.

It comes days after a separate incident where a 16-year-old White Rock boy was charged after the allegedly stolen car he was driving crashed into a power pole, causing serious injuries to both him and his passenger.

Originally published as Two men charged over alleged violent carjacking rampage between Townsville and Cairns