A teenage motorcyclist has died after being hit by a car that had allegedly been stolen an hour earlier.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of Bell Street and Victoria Street in Preston, in Melbourne’s north, at around 12.40am on Sunday following reports a BMW had hit a motorcycle.
Police arrived at the scene and performed CPR on the seriously injured 19-year-old Davide Pollina, who died at the scene, despite desperate attempts to save his life.
The teenager moved to Australia with his parents and older sister from Sicily in search of a better life about a decade ago.
His father, Nicola Pollina, celebrated his son’s achievement of buying his first car in 2021, writing on social media: “You are our pride.”
Davide was remembered by locals in his hometown as a “handsome and respectful boy.” Italy and as an avid motorcycle and car enthusiast to his Australian friends.
Two occupants of the BMW are believed to have fled the scene.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested shortly afterwards and interviewed by detectives before being released pending further enquiries.
Davida Pollina (pictured), 19, died at the scene of a horror crash in Melbourne’s north.
Davide was remembered as a “handsome and respectful boy” in his hometown in Italy.
The other occupant remains at large.
Police allege the luxury car and a Mazda were stolen from a home on Coonans Road in Pascoe Vale South at about 11.40pm on Saturday night, an hour before the collision.
A friend of Davide’s family remembered the teenager as “a really nice young man” whose death was “devastating” for his family.
“It’s devastating for Nicola and Eleanora as they came here for a better life and now they’ve lost their son all because a 16-year-old (allegedly) wants to steal a car and have fun. It’s bad,” they said. Herald of the Sun.
TO GoFundMe Organised on behalf of Davide’s family, it said he “was travelling home on his motorcycle… when he was suddenly hit by a (presumably) stolen vehicle”.
“Davide was only 19 years old and had a full life ahead of him,” reads the fundraising announcement.
Neighbors of the house where the cars were allegedly stolen said that a party had been held at the house that same night.
They revealed that on Sunday morning, the garage door had been smashed and was packed with police collecting evidence.
Detectives from the Serious Collision Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
Davide was known as a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and a “handsome and respectful guy” to locals in his hometown in Italy before his family moved to Australia a decade ago.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has indicated the state government will tackle rampant youth crime this week.
“While investigations are ongoing, I cannot comment on the cause of this accident, but I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family who have lost a loved one,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Ms Allan said the state government would introduce a bill to parliament to tackle youth crime, with Davide being the third young man allegedly killed by young offenders this year.
“As we work to get this bill through Parliament, I understand very clearly that we need to address both the concerns of the community and the reality of this repeated pattern of behaviour and look at what more we need to do to keep the community safe,” she said.
“There is a pattern of behavior here that is causing harm and that also worries me and many in the community.”
However, Ms Allan did not reveal details about the upcoming bill or whether it will include amendments to the Juvenile Justice Bill currently before parliament.