The driver of the allegedly stolen car that was involved in a fiery crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been identified by police.
NSW Police say the driver is a 19-year-old Queensland man after releasing a photo of his unique hand tattoo in the hopes of identifying him.
A description of the man was also released, revealing he is of caucasian appearance, 175cm tall and was wearing a black hooded jacket and red shorts at the time of the incident.
“Following a public appeal for information to identify a man involved in a crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Monday, police have since identified him as a 19-year-old man from Queensland,” police said in a statement.
“Police thank the public and media for their assistance.
“Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue.”
No charges have been laid against the man.
It is alleged the man stole a Toyota Kluger as its owner changed a tyre, moments before crashing it at high speed into oncoming traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Kluger collided with a HiAce van and a third vehicle before flipping onto its roof and bursting into flames.
Dashcam footage shows nearby drivers jumping into action and moving quickly to assess the three vehicles involved, including the driver trapped inside the flipped SUV with a smoking engine.
The fiery crash closed all lanes on the bridge, leading to traffic chaos and a massive gridlock.
Police were forced to abandon their vehicles at the bridge ramps and run towards the scene.
The 19-year-old man was rushed to hospital, where he is in a serious but stable condition and under police guard.
“He cut me off doing about 110 km/h,” Keni Vukici, one of the rescuers, told The
“After txjmtzywhe impact it was just mayhem, but it didn’t occur to me the guy who cut me off was the one upside down.”
The former bodyguard said his instincts immediately kicked in and he jumped out to rescue the people who were trapped.
Mr Vukici ran to the Kluger and helped pull the driver out.
“We actually had to hold him down at one point,” he said.
“He was yelling out ‘Get off me!’ then passing out again … it was insane.”
When the black SUV exploded into flames minutes later, bystanders quickly moved to carry the driver away from danger.
An officer from the Transport Management Centre single-handedly pushed the HiAce van out of the way of the flames.
The van’s driver, a 31-year-old man, was trapped before police rescue officers cut the door and freed him.
He was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital with pelvic and leg injuries in a serious but stable condition.
Mr Vukici also helped another man remove a 53-year old woman who was unable to get out of the third car, which was badly damaged when the Kluger ran into it.
She was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
