- Published:
- Tuesday 14 October 2025 at 5:15 am
Operation Trinity units have arrested a man following an extended follow through the northern suburbs of Melbourne this morning.
The 2024 Toyota RAV4, which was stolen from Mernda railway station over the weekend, was spotted on Plenty Road just after 11.30pm.
The Air Wing was called in to assist units on the ground as the vehicle travelled along the M80.
It is believed the vehicle was traveling up to speeds of 140km/h while on the freeway and at other times overtaking on the wrong side of the road.
The Toyota exited the freeway at Sydney Road before travelling through several suburbs including Coburg, Brunswick, Moonee Ponds and Avondale Heights.
After travelling on the Western Ring Road and into Glenroy and Brunswick police successfully deployed stop sticks in Walsh Street Coburg.
The RAV4 eventually came to a stop after crashing into a parked car nearby.
The driver and passenger ran from the scene with police close behind.
The 30-year-old driver, who had jumped several backyard fences to try and get away, was arrested by police in Hardwick Street.
A search of the area failed to find the passenger.
The driver of no fixed address, who appeared substance affected, was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
He is currently under police guard and will be interviewed in relation to the incident.
A search of the stolen vehicle uncovered multiple items of stolen property.
Victoria Police has a dedicated operation targeting burglars and car thieves from dusk to dawn across Melbourne.
On top of standard patrols, there are large numbers of additional police including members of the Dog Squad, Public Order Response and Air Wing, specifically tasked with preventing and responding to burglaries and car thefts each night.
As a result of this intense focus, police arrested 671 burglars and car thieves almost 1,683 times in the twelve months to the end of September 2025.
That equates to almost five burglars and car thieves arrested every single day.
Operation Trinity is Victoria Police’s most well-resourced operation, with over 140,000 policing hours dedicated solely to this operation last year.
On top of this, the Air Wing spent well over a thousand hours in the sky last year tracking burglars and car thieves as part of Trinity.
Latest police intelligence indicates that as many as 65% of all aggravated burglaries in key hotspots are through unlocked doors/windows or unsuccessful attempts when the offender has discovered the property is locked.
As such, police implore the community to take simple steps such as locking all doors and windows on your home and car.
The data tells is undeniable - if you lock your doors, your chances of falling victim dramatically decrease.
Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman
Media Unit
142310
Updated