Teen dead after alleged stolen car crashed on suburban Toowoomba street

The teenage victim of a shocking crash involving a stolen car in Toowoomba had wanted to start a fresh life in Tasmania away from bad influences but had been thwarted by authorities, her distraught sister says.

A quiet Toowoomba street was transformed into a war zone in a split second when an alleged speeding stolen car collided with multiple trees before it burst into flames and was torn into thousands of pieces.

Moments after the crash, the driver of the car – a 19-year-old Ipswich man – was heard searching through the dark and debris scattered along Hursley Rd and screaming: “Where are you!?”.

With the wreck of the car landing 50m away from the impact site, the car’s engine a further 20m away and in flames, the driver eventually made the harrowing discovery that the passenger, 18-year-old Heidi Riding, was dead.

“He came up and went over to the edge of the road and then he dropped down and was screaming and crying,” a witness at the scene said.

“He was just screaming, ‘She’s dead, she’s dead!’’

Initial police investigations indicate just after midnight on Friday morning an alleged stolen silver Holden Commodore was driving eastbound on Hursley Rd when it careened off the road and collided with trees near Tor St in Newtown.

Friends and friends of Heidi have gathered at the site to lay flowers in her memory.

Heidi Riding died after an allegedly stolen car crash on near the intersection of Holberton Street and Hursley Road, about 12am on July 14, 2023.

One of Heidi’s “very close friends” Brooke Graveson was heartbroken to know Heidi had passed away.

“We heard the news this morning at 5am, (I was) shocked, and I cried,” she said

“I’m just absolutely devastated – it was only yesterday she messaged me.”

FAMILY DEMANDING ANSWERS OVER DEATH

Heidi’s family are calling for answers over the young woman’s death and said they had been pleading with the authorities to let her move to Tasmania to get away from bad influences in Toowoomba.

“Heidi was funny, smart and fiercely loyal to all that she loved,” her sister Tamika Riding said.

“She was someone no matter what was happening in her life she would again and again help you first and that’s where a lot of her troubles stemmed from.”

It is understood Heidi was released from detention just seven days before the crash.

“Despite wanting her to be immediately able to move to Tasmania with her parents and family where she could be supported and stable to rehabilitate, she was instructed to stay in Queensland, a place that held many traumatic memories and triggers,” Tamika said.

“There was not a single person who worked with Heidi who could have denied that living back with family in Tasmania would be her best chance of regaining her life; however the law prevented this option, many times.”

Tamika has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an impending legal fight.

The engine of the stolen car caught fire after it flew meters from the fatal crash at Newtown on Friday morning.

ENGINE OF CAR ON OTHER SIDE OF ROAD

After crashing into a tree the car continued to careen a further 30m down Hursley Rd, and came to rest in the centre of the street.

Pieces of metal and plastic were found embedded into the fences of homes across the road from the impact site.

The engine of the car was on fire on the other side of the road.

In a statement, Queensland Police said that local patrols had spotted the vehicle shortly before the crash but had not attempted to engage with the driver.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics transported a 19-year-old Ipswich man to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries.

Shocking photos reveal the carnage of a Toowoomba crash involving an alleged stolen car. The car engine was found more than 20m away from the impact site. Picture: Supplied

As of Friday morning, no charges have been laid in relation to the crash.

Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki called on the state government to “do more to stop this carnage”.

“Our community is reeling from another tragic death of a teenager overnight and my heart goes out to her family,” he told The Courier-Mail.

“The scene of the crash was terribly confronting for emergency services personnel”.

“Toowoomba’s car theft epidemic is a risk not just to the children who are stealing and riding in these vehicles, but also to police and the community”.

A young person has been killed after an alleged stolen car crashed into large trees on a suburban Toowoomba street in the early hours of Friday morning, July 14. Picture: Jordan Philp

POLICE RESPOND TO ALLEGATIONS OF PURSUIT

About 10 hours after the fatal crash, the Queensland Police Service held a media conference at the Toowoomba Police Station.

Darling Downs Crime Group Acting Detective Inspector Damien Smith said officers were not actively pursuing the stolen car, however the Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards Command was investigating.

“Crews were aware of the vehicle in the area and attempting to locate the car,” he said.

Inspector Smith said the occupants were known to police, and to his knowledge, officers did not attempt to intercept the car at the time of the crash, or earlier in the day.

“At that time when that information came through, it was the first time police were aware of it … and out conducting patrols,” he said.

Detective Inspector Damien Smith speaking to media at the Toowoomba Police Station on Friday, July 14, following a fatal stolen car crash at Newtown. Picture: Peta McEachern

“It’s quite scary as to how much damage was caused … (and) the potential impact it could have caused to residential houses and therefore the potential risk of injury to the people in those houses.

“We are just asking young people to be mindful, who are taking part in this sort of risk-taking behaviour to take a second to reconsider their actions as there can often unfortunately be tragic consequences.

“It’s not worth the enjoyment they might get out of this thrillseeking behaviour.”

He confirmed that Ms Riding was in the passenger seat of the car, and initial investigations suggested speed was a major factor in the crash.

“At the moment we have investigations being conducted by the Toowoomba Criminal Investigation Branch assisted by the forensic crash unit, and The Queensland Police Ethical Standards Command are conducting an investigation in relation to police involvement in this incident,” he said.

Detective Inspector Damien Smith said the occupants were known to police. Picture: Peta McEachern

Inspector Smith said fatal crashes took a toll on emergency services.

“It never gets any easier, no matter how many you go to … they all take a toll, and especially in situations where it’s potentially preventable,” he said.

He said officers were yet to speak to the 19-year-old driver as he was still receiving medical treatment in hospital.

If anyone has information, CCTV, or dashcam footage, relating to the crash, police urge you to contact crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.