A robbery suspect has been saved from drowning in a river by police on the North Shore of Auckland.
Police believe he is part of a group of six involved in a series of robberies on Sunday night in Orewa and Silverdale, north of Auckland.
The group had fled in two separate cars and one of the vehicles hit road spikes.
Senior Sergeant Niki Seager says three young men ran away and one of them fell into a river.
She says a police officer heard him gurgling, jumped in and helped pull him to shore.
Senior Sergeant Seager says three other people believed to be involved in the robberies, are still at large.
