Townsville quad rider takes on teen car thieves

A fearless Townsville man says he’d do it all again after chasing down a gang of brazen teens in stolen cars on his quad bike — despite being rammed in the process. WATCH THE VIDEO.

A fearless Townsville man says he’d do it all again after chasing down a gang of brazen teens in stolen cars on his quad bike — despite being rammed in the process.

Michael Bowkett, 35, sprang into action after hearing the sound of screeching tyres along Haynes Street, a quiet dirt road where he lives in Jensen, around 6.20am on Sunday.

Concerned that the noise was coming from hoons doing burnouts, he quickly hopped on his quad bike and went out to the road to investigate.

“I hate people doing skids up our street because we’ve got horses, and my neighbours also have livestock,” he said.

He discovered three stolen cars, including a Triton ute, a silver Hyundai Tucson, and a white Isuzu MU-X wagon, with young drivers frantically switching between vehicles after the Triton got bogged in the mud.

Acting on instinct, Mr Bowkett pursued the convoy, snapping photos and shouting out warnings at them.

“I yelled out to them, I’ll send it to the coppers, and then one of the cars rammed my quad and the impact of that snapped the frame,” he said.

Michael Bowkett chased down teens in stolen cars on his quad bike in Jensen.

He said he could see the occupants of the stolen cars trying to hide their faces, but they all looked like they were in their late teens.

“Everyone seems to blame the Indigenous kids here for crime but I’ll be the first person to stand up and say these kids were all white,” he said. “So it’s not just the Indigenous kids.”

Michael Bowkett captures the chaos as he chases down teens in stolen cars on his quad bike.

Since posting a video of his run in online, Mr Bowkett says he’s mostly received messages of support from Townsville locals but also a bit of criticism for putting himself in harm’s way.

“I’ve copped a bit of flack for it, just keyboard warriors calling me an redneck and an absolute flog for taking them on in a quad,” he said.

“Well, be that as it may. I still wouldn’t change it. I’d do it again because the way I see it right now, I’ve managed to get someone’s car back to them before Christmas.

Michael Bowkett captures the chaos as he chases down teens in stolen cars on his quad bike.

“That’s a family that needs a car, that’s worked hard to get that car and not to have some little oxygen thieving scumbag stealing it.”

He said the owner of the bogged Triton had been out all night looking for their stolen car the night before and was finally able to get some rest after hearing the car had been recovered relatedly unscathed on Sunday.

Mr Bowkett was not injured during the incident.

Police confirmed they are investigating the hit-and-run incident, and anyone with information or CCTV footage was urged to contact police.

Originally published as Townsville quad rider takes on teen car thieves