Newcastle Knights Farewell Crash: 10 Injured After Car Plows Into Crowd in Newcastle, Australia
Ten people were injured after a car crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters gathered in Wallsend, Newcastle, Australia, for the team’s grand final farewell on October 3, 2026. A five-year-old girl remains in critical but stable condition, while a 67-year-old man is in serious but stable condition. Seven others were also hospitalized, with several later discharged. An 18-year-old driver was arrested and charged with multiple driving offences. Police said the incident was not being treated as a targeted attack. (ABC News)
Published by Global Report Center
A major crash in Newcastle, Australia, left 10 people injured after a car struck a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters gathered for the team’s grand final farewell.
The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, near the Transfield Drive roundabout on Newcastle Link Road in Wallsend. Thousands of Knights supporters had gathered along the route to watch the team bus leave Newcastle ahead of the NRL grand final.
According to NSW Police, emergency services responded after reports that a vehicle had struck multiple people in the crowd. Ten people were taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
Among those injured was a five-year-old girl who remains in critical but stable condition. A 67-year-old man, who was initially reported to be in critical condition, is now in serious but stable condition.
Four other people, including a second five-year-old girl, a two-year-old girl, a 31-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, remained hospitalized in stable conditions. Three men aged 24, 25 and 27, along with a 63-year-old woman, were later discharged from hospital. (ABC News)
The driver, identified by police as 18-year-old Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, was arrested at the scene. Police later charged him with multiple driving offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. His P1 provisional licence was suspended, and the vehicle was seized for forensic examination. He is scheduled to appear in Newcastle Bail Court.
Witnesses told Australian media that the vehicle appeared to be revving before it lost control and entered the crowd. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Emergency services mounted a large response, with ambulances and helicopters involved in treating and transporting injured people. Newcastle Link Road was closed in both directions while police investigated the scene.
The Newcastle Knights team bus was diverted from its planned route following the incident. The club later expressed support for everyone affected, including those injured and their families.
Police have said the incident was not believed to be terrorism-related. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities examine the circumstances of the crash and the driver’s actions before the collision. (ABC News)
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