Central Coast News

Staff at a fast food outlet have been threatened at knife point during a robbery at Umina Beach on the Central Coast. Police have been told a man entered through the back door of the West Street restaurant, at around 9:30 on Monday night, when he threatened staff with a large knife. He managed to make off with a sum of cash. Officers are now hoping to speak with a man in his mid 30s, who was last seen wearing a grey hooded jumper, dark blue pants and black boots. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Lifeguards are warning beachgoers to play it safe when heading into the ocean, after a horror day on the New South Wales coast. Two people died on Monday, including a man in his 70s who drowned while swimming at Boomerang Beach on the Mid North Coast. A 33-year-old man also died while scuba diving at the Kiama Blowhole. Meanwhile, a man had to be rescued at the notorious Frazer Park Blowhole on the Central Coast. Lifeguards patrolling Frazer Park Beach were called to the nearby blowhole at around 2:30 on Monday afternoon. The man was rescued within 15 minutes and given the all clear by paramedics. “What the incident highlights is the danger of the blowhole in that particular location and we are certainly urging the public to be aware when swimming, walking or fishing throughout the area.” – Patria …

A man has died after the car he was driving collided with a stolen Land Rover on the Central Coast. The crash happened on Wyong Road at Berkeley Vale, just before 5 o’clock on Tuesday morning. The driver of the Kio Rio died at the scene, while the man behind the wheel of the Land Rover ran from the crash site. He’s believed to be aged in his 20s, and was last seen wearing no shirt. Police are now working to determine the events which led to the crash. Sarah Iuliano reports.

Central Coast Council has recently installed new water tanks at high risk fire locations around the region. It comes as part of an initiative to help reduce turnaround times for fire crews in areas without access to town water.  

A bite from a male funnel web spider can be deadly, but since the development of anti-venom in 1981 there’ve been zero fatalities. Now a world-first project is being launched, to ensure enough of the life-saving serum is made.  

As debate rages over how to stop drug related tragedies at music festivals, young people are still dying. Another family is coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, after a 19-year-old Central Coast woman collapsed from a suspected overdose in Sydney’s Parramatta Park.

A fire has torn through Umina Mall on the Central Coast, destroying several shops. More than 60 firefighters were called in to extinguish the blaze….which is now being investigated by police.  

Two men have been charged following a police pursuit on the Central Coast. Officers had attempted to stop a Holden Commodore at Lake Munmorah at around 6:30 on Saturday evening, when it’s alleged the vehicle failed to stop. Police pursued the Commodore through a number of suburbs including Budgewoi and Halekulani, before it crashed at Buff Point. The two men inside the vehicle were arrested, with a shortened rifle, ammunition and methamphetamine located inside the car. The driver, a 25-year-old man from the Lake Macquarie suburb of Fishing Point, was charged with 11 offences including negligent driving. His passenger, a 23-year-old man from Halekulani, was charged with six offences including possessing a shortened firearm.

A crime scene has been set up on the Central Coast, after fire destroyed a number of shops at the Umina Mall. Around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze at around 2 o’clock on Sunday morning. It’s understood it started in a barber shop, before spreading to neighbouring stores. Work has begun to cut out sections of the roof at Umina Mall so fire crews can access and extinguish the remaining pockets of smouldering insulation. @nbnnews pic.twitter.com/J8CW3ZPQVL — Skaie Hull (@SkaieHull) January 13, 2019 Fire crews remain at the scene on Ocean Beach Road, working to remove and extinguish pockets of insulation. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Skaie Hull will have more for our Central Coast viewers in tonight’s news.

A 50-year-old woman was last night flown to hospital, after she fell from a motorbike on the Central Coast. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Dooralong, north west of Wyong, late on Saturday afternoon following reports of an accident. The woman sustained multiple injuries and was treated at the scene by the helicopter’s medical team. She was flown to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.