25 Apr 2015

Loud bang before body found - police

9:59 am on 25 April 2015

Police say a resident reported hearing a loud bang several hours before a man's body was discovered in a car in the suburb of Owhata in Rotorua.

They said it appeared the man crashed his car into a tree after failing to take a bend in the road properly.

His body was discovered at about 7am but it is likely the crash occurred several hours earlier.

A police spokesman said a resident heard a loud bang somewhere between midnight and 2am.

Officers are trying to find out whether anyone else had been in the car and fled the scene.