- Rhyce Harding, 27, died on Thursday in Blackett, western Sydney.
- A 39-year-old man was arrested on Friday.
EXCLUSIVE
A shopkeeper who allegedly died in a road rage attack was speaking on the phone to his best friend moments before his death and told her he was being followed, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.
Rhyce Harding, 27, died after being hit by a white van on Jersey Road, Blackett, in Sydney’s west, about 8.45am on Thursday, police said.
Harding is believed to have jumped out of his red ute and walked towards the driver after an earlier incident.
Witnesses said Harding appeared to cling to the side of the white ute as he was dragged about 100 meters down the road, before being hit by the ute and fatally injured.
The driver of the white van allegedly fled the scene. In a development on Friday, a 39-year-old man was arrested after handing himself in at Mount Druitt police station at around 6.30am. He is assisting police with investigations.
Rhyce Harding, 27, was tragically killed in an alleged hit-and-run incident on Thursday.
His best friend said she was on the phone with him at the time. She had allegedly complained that he was being followed too closely.
Mr Harding’s shocked best friend Stacey said: “I was on the phone to him.
“I’ve lost my best friend, I don’t think he’ll ever be okay.”
Witnesses said Harding had gotten out of the Ford and attempted to stop the other vehicle when the incident occurred.
The heartbreaking scene unfolded in front of dozens of shocked witnesses, including children walking to school.
CCTV from nearby homes appeared to show Mr Harding clinging to the driver’s side of the white ute.
Harding was an avid kickboxer, and World Gym Marsden Park shared a post wishing him luck for an upcoming fight last June.
‘Rhyce has been through hell and back during his fight camp along with his strength and conditioning coach.
Witnesses said they saw the alleged victim involved in a road rage incident with a driver in a white ute (pictured) with a metal tray, a black canopy and a toolbox with metal shelves on the upper part.
The alleged victim’s red Ford Ranger is pictured being towed from the scene Thursday.
‘We are all very proud of his achievement and wish him the best of luck in his fight!’
In response, his mother wrote: ‘I’m so proud of you Rhyce.
“The tremendous support they have been given throughout this journey to date is beyond anything I have ever witnessed.”
Tributes have begun to flow online for Harding, who ran a landscaping business.
“Heaven has gained another angel today, nothing will be the same without you here,” wrote a friend.
‘You will forever be in my heart and mind. My heart skipped a beat when I heard you were gone, but I know you’ll take care of us.’
Another colleague wrote: ‘Fly high, brother.’
