Tayler Christian Hazell, 32, was charged with hitting two St Edmund’s College students. Photo: Supplied/Victoria Police.
A father must have endured seven minutes of hell after a meth-affected driver stole the car that still contained his daughter and drove off down the street in rural NSW.
While Tayler Christian Hazell did let the girl get out, he then drove into Canberra and crashed the car into two teenage boys as they walked to school, leaving them seriously injured.
The chaos began in the early hours of 28 March 2025 when Hazell crashed a stolen Ford Falcon in Sutton, NSW, then was spotted roaming around the town, newly revealed court documents say.
Later that morning, a man was dropping one of his children off at a preschool in Sutton when Hazell ran towards his green Holden Commodore, jumped inside and drove off while the man’s eight-year-old daughter was still sitting in it.
“Oh, you’re a girl,” Hazell said before stopping the car after about 300 metres.
“Hop out of the car and run to your Dad.”
The girl, who hadn’t spoken to him, got out and walked back to the preschool.
The time between the Commodore being stolen and the girl being reunited with her father, who in the meantime had called police with the help of preschool staff, was seven minutes.
Hazell left Sutton and drove dangerously between NSW and the ACT by speeding, driving through a red light, going over the top of a roundabout, crashing into a barrier and hitting another car near Queanbeyan South Public School and driving onto the wrong side of the road.
There was heavy traffic along Canberra Avenue around 9 am, and he began overtaking other vehicles at the school zones of St Clare’s and St Edmund’s Colleges.
He crashed into the back of another car, then hit two pedestrians on the median strip, 14 and 15-year-old boys who were students at St Edmund’s, before driving off.
One of the boys was thrown nine metres, while the second was thrown a distance before he was found 31 metres from the point of impact.
Both suffered horrific injuries; one boy’s were life-threatening. The boys were taken to hospital in critical condition and needed immediate surgery.
Police visit the scene after two boys were hit by a car near St Edmund’s College on 28 March. Photo: James Coleman.
Meanwhile, the Commodore started smoking as Hazell continued to drive it before he came to a stop in Manuka and tried to run away, but members of the public performed a citizen’s arrest and prevented him from fleeing.
“I f-ing hope I haven’t hurt anyone,” he said when police arrived.
“I think there’s two kids man, I think I f-ing hit one of them.
“Oh no, please God, no.”
Methylamphetamine was later detected in his system.
Last month, Hazell pleaded guilty to two counts of culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm, as well as single counts of taking a child by force while stealing a vehicle, dangerous driving, taking a vehicle without consent and driving a vehicle without consent.
His case was then committed to the ACT Supreme Court to begin the sentencing process.
On Thursday (11 September), the Supreme Court heard the 32-year-old wanted a restorative justice referral, a program that gives people who have been harmed the chance to talk to the person who has harmed them.
The parents of the girl and one of the boys agreed to participate, but the second boy declined to be involved.
Justice David Mossop said it was appropriate to make a referral for restorative justice.
The matter will return to court on 19 February 2026. Hazell has remained in custody since the crash.
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