Latest news with #SsangYongRexton
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Queensland carjacking horror: Identical twin interview speaking in perfect unison stuns the world
Identical twins from Australia recounted the terrifying moment their mother came face-to-face with an alleged gunman in a bizarre TV interview where they give an identical, word-for-word explanation at the exact same time. A gunman allegedly caused a crash on the Bruce Highway in Queensland that killed a woman before shooting Good Samaritan in the arm while on a carjacking spree as he fled the crash scene. Twins Bridgette and Paula Powers witnessed the chaos firsthand, and their surreal interview - where they answered a journalist's questions in unison - quickly went viral. The twins described how their mother, who had rushed to help a crash victim, suddenly found herself confronting the alleged gunman emerging from the wreckage. One sister said: 'And one guy, he was up there with our mum… he goes, "run, he's got a gun",' while the other mimicked her speech exactly, word for word. Bridgette and Paula said: 'And our heart started to pound. And I said, "Oh, mum, where's mum?" - and poor mum was stuck up there. 'She goes, "Are you alright?" because he had all blood all over his face and he goes, "I'll shoot you".' In a split-second decision, their mum distracted the alleged gunman and bolted into the surrounding bushland. Bridgette and Paula continued: 'Mum was distracting him to make him look the other way and he looked the other way and Mum ran into the bush behind the fence and the guy goes, "I'll find you and I'll shoot you".' Thankfully, the twins and their mother were able to safely escape the chaos. Their interview made headlines around the world, with U.S. media and politics news website Mediaite describing their perfectly in unison recount as 'surreal'. The pair previously caught the attention of media after it was revealed that they have their own language and wear matching clothes every day. As children, the twins were taken under the wing of late wildlife star Steve Irwin and now run a rescue sanctuary for seabirds. Bradley Donald Towle, 41, now under police guard in a hospital, was driving a red Porsche Macan that caused a six-vehicle crash. The 22-year-old woman who died was a passenger in one of the cars involved. The man allegedly exited the Porsche armed with a firearm and shot the driver of a SsangYong Rexton who had stopped to offer assistance. He shot the 62-year-old man in the arm after an altercation before stealing his Rexton, police alleged. The good samaritan was taken to hospital while his car was found crashed at nearby Landsborough about 20 minutes later. The man then allegedly stole a grey Mazda 3 driven by a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint. The teenager and her parents ran from the vehicle and were not injured. Police said they arrested the man at around 12.48pm on Monday at a Landsborough intersection on the Sunshine Coast, about 30 minutes after the fatal crash. A firearm was found inside the vehicle, police said. The man sustained head and body injuries in the traffic incidents and was transported to Sunshine Coast University Hospital where he remains under police guard. The 41-year-old man has been charged with 15 offences and his matter is set to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday. A statement from police said: 'Investigations are continuing with further charges likely.' Anyone with information should contact police.
7NEWS
23-04-2025
- 7NEWS
‘We never give up on a bird': Viral Twinnies use newfound fame to save their struggling bird rescue
The twin sisters who went viral this week after a shocking incident are now using their unexpected spotlight to raise funds for their lifelong passion — rescuing seabirds. Their unique way of speaking in sync struck a chord with viewers across the country as the 51-year-old twins, dressed identically, recounted in an interview with 7NEWS the moment a car thief threatened their mother on Steve Irwin Way, Queensland. Bridgette and Paula Powers, known affectionately as the Twinnies, run Twinnies Pelican Seabird Rescue, a 24/7 seabird rehabilitation centre in Landsborough, just a five-minute drive from the iconic Australia Zoo. The sanctuary has been their life's work for 25 years, never turning a bird away — no matter how long recovery takes. 'Some seabirds stay for two weeks, others for up to nine months,' the identical sisters wrote on their fundraiser page. The twins handle everything from medical care and feeding to seven loads of laundry a day to keep the centre running. 'We rescue seabirds, we rehabilitate them, and we give them the care they need,' the pair wrote — presumably in perfect unison. 'We never give up on a bird.' Now, they're hoping their viral moment can help save their facility. Funds raised will go towards covering mounting food bills and ongoing care costs, much-needed repairs to their ageing building, and installing a disabled toilet for visitors, they said. Their fame comes in the wake of a devastating incident near Aussie World on Monday. The twins were interviewed after Bradley Donald Towle, 41, was driving a red Porsche Macan allegedly under the influence of drugs causing a fatal six-car crash in the southbound lanes of the Bruce Hwy at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast on Monday. The tragic crash claimed the life of 22-year-old Jocelyn Grace Mollee and left a man of the same age injured. Police allege the suspect, born in Bankstown, then shot a 62-year-old man in the arm and stole his white SsangYong Rexton, which was later found overturned near Landsborough. He is further accused of carjacking a grey Mazda 3 from a 16-year-old girl during a driving lesson with her parents.
Perth Now
23-04-2025
- Perth Now
Carjacking, shooting accused to remain behind bars
A man accused of carjackings, a fatal crash and shooting a good Samaritan in a 30-minute spree will remain behind bars. Bradley Donald Towle, 41, is facing 15 charges including dangerous driving causing death while intoxicated following a string of alleged incidents on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on Monday. Towle is accused of causing a six-vehicle crash on a major highway north of Brisbane that killed a 22-year-old woman who has been identified in court documents as Jocelyn Grace Mollee. Police also allege Towle shot a 62-year-old man who stopped to offer assistance to crash victims before stealing two cars at gunpoint. Towle has been charged with a string of offences including unlawful wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing methamphetamine, GHB and cash suspected to be proceeds of crime. He was originally due to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday but he was still in hospital under police guard. The matter was adjourned for him to appear via videolink on Wednesday. The charges were briefly mentioned on Wednesday but Towle was not required to appear despite him being taken from hospital and placed in an adjacent police watchhouse. Towle's solicitor Ben Rynderman did not apply for bail and Magistrate Rodney Madsen remanded him in custody ahead of his case's next court mention on June 30 at Maroochydore. Mr Rynderman said outside court his client was facing very serious charges. "The matter has been adjourned for the disclosure of a brief of evidence (by police)," he said. "Ordinarily that takes approximately seven weeks. Given the complexity of this matter, it will take slightly longer. "It's a matter that will require careful investigation, certainly, and also careful analysis from a defence perspective." Mr Rynderman said he had spoken with his client after he was discharged from hospital but was not able to say whether or not Towle would seek bail at a later stage. "(Towle's) injuries are of a nature whereby he is able to be looked after in the watchhouse without requiring further medical assistance," he said. Court documents state Towle had declined to participate in a mental health assessment offered by a court liaison service. Towle allegedly caused the multi-vehicle crash when the Porsche he was driving struck the side of a Nissan Micra. Ms Mollee was a passenger in the Nissan, later dying of her injuries sustained in the crash. Towle allegedly shot a 62-year-old Branyan man in the arm after he stopped to render assistance and stole his SsangYong Rexton. He allegedly crashed that vehicle within 25 minutes of leaving the scene and carjacked a Mazda 3, that was being driven by a 16-year-old female learner driver and her parents. The teen and her parents fled the vehicle and were not harmed. Towle was later arrested at gunpoint by police at 12.48pm at the intersection of Steve Irwin Way and Forestry Road, Landsborough. Dramatic arrest footage from body cameras has been shared by police. Two officers with guns drawn can be seen in the footage approaching a vehicle on the busy intersection and screaming at a "bleeding" man to get out before handcuffing him. Police allege officers found a single-barrel break-action shotgun in the Mazda that was used during the previous offences.
7NEWS
23-04-2025
- 7NEWS
Mother pays tribute to daughter, Jocelyn Grace Mollee, killed in Easter Monday crash in Palmview, Queensland
The heartbroken mother of a young woman killed in a horrific Queensland crash has remembered her daughter as a 'gentle' and 'smart' and said she lived life to the fullest. Jocelyn Grace Mollee, 22, was killed d uring a six-car crash on the Bruce Hwy in Palmview on the Sunshine Coast, allegedly caused by a man who went on a carjacking rampage under the influence of drugs before shooting a man in the arm on Easter Monday. The crash claimed the life of Mollee, who was a passenger in a car driven by a 22-year-old man, who was also injured in the crash. 'She was a beautiful young woman, gentle soul, and a hard worker. She was going to be a pillar of society,' Mollee's mother, Amanda Chippendale, told The Courier-Mail. 'My heart is shattered. We're broken into a million pieces.' Mollee was in her fourth year of a chemical engineering degree at the University of Queensland, with a focus on water quality. Chippendale said making sure people would survive because they had sufficient and quality water was her daughters' passion. 'She could make people talk and she could make people laugh. She had a love of books and loved nature,' she said. 'Gone but not forgotten, my baby girl.' Bradley Donald Towle, 41, is alleged to have caused the deadly crash, before approached a white SsangYong Rexton with a gun, shooting the 62-year-old driver in the arm, before stealing his car. The Ssangyong was found flipped on its roof after a crash about 10 minutes drive away, near Forestry Rd in Landsborough, just after 12.30pm. Police allege Towle then stole another car, a grey Mazda 3, from a 16-year-old Newmarket girl who was having a driving lesson with her parents. He was arrested on Steve Irwin Wy at Landsborough, with police bodycam vision showing officers producing a loaded shot gun found in the Mazda. Towle's was hospitalised under police guard and charged with 15 offences, including dangerous driving causing death and armed robbery. His case was briefly mentioned in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday, and he is ecpected to front court again on Wednesday once released from hospital. Police said investigations are continuing, and further charges were likely.
Sky News AU
22-04-2025
- Sky News AU
Young Queensland student killed in horrific Porsche rampage on Bruce Highway identified following Easter Monday tragedy
A Queensland family has been left shattered after a Porsche driver went on a violent rampage on the Bruce Highway, allegedly causing a disastrous six-car pileup turned shooting that killed 22-year-old student Jocelyn Grace Mollee. The Easter Monday frenzy unfolded in a matter of minutes, with police alleging the driver of a red Porsche Macan first caused a six-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes of the Bruce Highway at Palmview. Ms Mollee was riding passenger in a Nissan Micra when the Porsche collided with her side of the vehicle She died later from her injuries. The Porsche driver, Bradley Donald Towle, 41, of Tewantin exited the Porsche and approached a white SsangYong Rexton, whilst armed with a firearm, after the driver had left the car to help those involved in the crash. He allegedly shot the 62-year-old Rexton driver before stealing his car. After totalling the Rexton, he then allegedly approached a grey Mazda 3, still armed, forcing the 16-year-old learner driver, along with her parents, to flee from the vehicle. Towle was arrested at the intersection of Steve Irwin Way and Forestry Road, Landsborough at 12.48pm – 38 minutes after he first collided with Ms Mollee and caused a cataclysmic road tragedy. Queensland Police released body-worn camera footage that captured the moment officers apprehended the 41-year-old. Ms Mollee was in her fourth year of a chemical engineering degree, her mum Amanda Chippendale remembering her as a 'beautiful young woman, gentle soul, and a hard worker". 'She was going to be a pillar of society,' Ms Chippendale told The Courier Mail. 'She could make people talk and she could make people laugh. She had a love of books and loved nature. 'My heart is shattered. We're broken into a million pieces. Gone but not forgotten my baby girl.' Towle has been charged with 15 offences related to the shooting and car crash, including armed robbery, dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and unlawful possession of a firearm used to commit an indictable offence. He has also been charged with the dangerous operation of a vehicle adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and two counts of possessing dangerous drugs. He sustained injuries in the crash and has been in hospital under police guard.
