Three teenagers have been arrested following an alleged armed robbery and pursuit that seems to fit more in the bushranging era of yesteryear than it does in the modern day.
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The bizarre incident in which a newspaper delivery truck was allegedly bailed up in the middle of the night on the New England Highway started in the dark hours at the start of Wednesday, September 27.
Delivery driver Jimmy Sullivan was returning home from his usual midnight ride to deliver copies of the Northern Daily Leader to Muswellbrook when he found himself in a peculiar situation.
"I was coming home just the other side of Blandford and there was a car pulled up off the road with the hazards on and they started flashing their headlights and waving out the window for help," Mr Sullivan said.
The paper deliveryman stopped his trusty white Ford Ranger ute to help the three individuals flagging him down.
Mr Sullivan said at first the trio told him they were out of petrol, but things quickly took a turn into the surreal as he ended up staring down the blade of a knife.
"I've been delivering newspapers from Tamworth to Muswellbrook for six years and before that I spent about 20 years as an interstate truck driver. It was like a Wild Western. I have never seen anything like it, it rattled me," he said.
"At first I thought I should give him a snap-kick in the private parts, but I was outnumbered so I thought better of it."
The trio then allegedly took off in Mr Sullivan's ute, leaving him stranded on the side of the highway until police arrived.
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The alleged incident is reminiscent of the region's wild bushranging era, when mail coaches carrying newspapers, mail, and parcels were robbed on the regular.
One major difference though is these days cops have tyre spikes, which NSW Police deployed to terminate a pursuit of the ute which allegedly failed to stop as directed, and had cops following it all the way to North Lambton in Newcastle.
Three teenagers - two boys and a girl - were arrested at the scene before being taken to Newcastle Police Station.
The alleged driver, a 17-year-old boy, was charged with robbery in company; and police pursuit not stop drive recklessly.
The alleged passengers, both aged 16, were charged with robbery in company; and be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner.
All three were refused police bail to appear before a children's court on Wednesday, September 27.
Mr Sullivan said he's glad he wasn't injured, "except me pride," but he'll miss the company car which was "totally wrecked" by the tyre spikes.
"That was our favourite little ute that one," he said.
Thankfully the deliveryman now has a bit of time off to recover from the traumatic experience.
"I only work five nights a fortnight, don't go back now until Monday next week. It's not a bad little retirement job, at least when you're not getting held at knife-point," Mr Sullivan said.
While the deliveryman says he's in good spirits, he also said the two lessons he's learned are that regional areas like Muswellbrook and his hometown of Quirindi need more police, and that "it doesn't matter who it is, I will not be pulling over to help ever again."
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