Dangerous trip on van rooftop caught on camera

Three young males have been caught on camera risking their lives by riding on the roof of a van travelling down a steep road.

The dangerous incident was recorded on Sunday afternoon by a resident’s security camera on Worsleys Rd, on Christchurch’s Port Hills.

Footage shows the young men lying on top of a Hiace van. There is no roof rack and they do not seem to be holding on.

One of them, or possibly a fourth person emerging from the sunroof, is holding a phone and appears to be taking video or still shots.

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The resident said he called police on 111 straight away, giving them the van’s registration number.

Police confirmed on Sunday evening they had received the report of the offending, but had not identified those involved.

The resident, who only wanted to be known as Reuben, said he was outside his house when he heard the young men’s voices as the van came past, and could hardly believe what he saw. He estimated they were in their teens or early 20s.

“It’s definitely a danger to life. All it takes is someone going over the front or the side. It’s a very, very steep road,” he said.

Reuben has two young children and said the behaviour would be any parent’s worry.

“It would be horrific if that was your kid. I hope this isn’t a trend that people are copying.”

A police spokesperson said any road behaviour that endangers others and makes people feel unsafe “is not acceptable”, and anyone seeing something risky should dial 111.

“We encourage anyone who sees vehicles being driven dangerously to call police with as much information as possible to assist us.

“This includes registration numbers of vehicles, and any descriptions of drivers. If you can safely capture video or photographs, this is also very helpful for police.”