Several injured as car crashes into crowd at an event in Australia

The crowd had gathered to bid farewell to the Newcastle Knights ahead of their NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters; the driver is now arrested, and emergency services have been deployed

By Matthew Brockett

 

Ten people were injured when a car crashed into a crowd in the Australian city of Newcastle, in what initial police investigations indicate was not a terror-related incident.  

The car struck a crowd gathered to bid farewell to the Newcastle Knights rugby league team, New South Wales police said in a statement Saturday. The injured were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Two of the victims — a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man — remain in a critical condition, according to the statement. 

 

The driver of the vehicle, an 18-year-old man, was arrested and would undergo mandatory testing at a hospital, police said.

 

 

“Police have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, with initial inquiries indicating it is not believed to be terror-related,” police said.

 

The crowd had gathered to farewell the Newcastle Knights, who are set to face the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League Grand Final on Sunday. 

My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle. I want to acknowledge and thank emergency services and police for responding so quickly, and their ongoing work in treating the injured. Rugby league brings people together,…

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 3, 2026

“My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on X. “Rugby league brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans.”