Police are seeking a driver who ran away from a fatal car crash in central Auckland early on Thursday.
It was one of two serious collisions in the area, forcing the closure of a major commuter route, Tamaki Drive, until just before rush hour.
The passenger in the fatal crash, 19-year-old David Sionepulu, died when a piece of a metal fence was driven into his body on impact.
Several residents in Ngapipi Road had been woken by a loud bang as the speeding car flew through a fence and over a drop before landing in a driveway.
Police say witnesses saw the driver run from the car.
Earlier, a few hundred metres away in Tamaki Drive, two people had to be cut from their car and are in a critical condition in hospital.
Road policing manager Gavin MacDonald says witnesses saw the car travelling at 120km/h in the 50km/h zone just before it hit a pohutukawa tree.
Mr MacDonald says alcohol was a factor in both crashes and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
