A motorcyclist was killed in a horrific collision with a car police say was stolen just hours earlier.
The vehicles collided on the Maroondah Highway at Yarck, northeast of Melbourne, about 4pm on Wednesday.
The driver of the motorcycle, who has not yet been formally identified, died at the scene while the driver of the white Ford Ranger allegedly ditched the car and fled on foot.
Victoria Police confirmed a man was arrested after an “extensive” search of the area.
A 42-year-old man from Seymour, west of Yarck, is currently assisting police with investigations.
Police allege the van was “stolen from an address in Euroa earlier that day”.
A motorcyclist died after a horrific collision with a car which police say was stolen just hours earlier (file image)
No charges have yet been filed as investigations into the crash continue.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.
The motorcyclist’s death is the 101st on Victorian Roads this year and occurred during ‘National Road Safety Week’.
The national initiative urges drivers to take care on Australian roads to try to reduce the number of road deaths.
Last year, 295 people lost their lives on Victorian roads, the most in 15 years, and just under a quarter of all road deaths in Australia.
Victoria’s Deputy Road Policing Commissioner Glenn Weir said the state and nation had seen a “devastating loss of life on the roads” throughout 2023.
“From the lives lost to family members, partners, friends, co-workers and emergency services responding to the scene, thousands of lives are affected,” Weir said in a statement Sunday.
“We ask all road users to prioritize safety and take extra care, especially as we approach the winter months with reduced visibility and inclement weather.”
It noted a “significant increase” in road-related trauma involving motorcyclists and pedestrians this year, ahead of a “period of particularly high risk.”
More to come.