Police at the scene on Darlington Road, Miramar. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
A resident in the Wellington suburb of Miramar says a nearby home invasion has left the community anxious.
Lisa Kerr said she was checking her home's doors and windows after a resident was hurt in a fight with an intruder in the early hours of Monday morning.
A second person was found unconscious and critically injured on nearby Camperdown Rd shortly after, however, it is not yet known if these incidents are linked.
Police were back at the property of the home invasion on Darlington Rd on Tuesday and the hunt was still on for the intruder.
Kerr said she chose to live in the area because it felt safe and was a great place to raise children.
"Miramar typically feels like a very safe community. It's got great school's and a great community vibe.
"Where an actual intruder has been in someone's house - very invasive - and I think it does up the ante for the community. It does for me anyway.
"It definitely brings a different feeling. The house is fully locked down. The community are not feeling that great at the moment. We're kind of all taking it a bit more seriously," Kerr said.
Police said they are searching for a tall man of thin, athletic build, wearing a white cap in relation to the home invasion.
They were still working to determine whether the man was linked to the more serious assault nearby.
Blood on the pavement on Camperdown Road. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Kerr said the fact that a home was entered while residents were inside felt like "a different level of criminality".
"If you go into a residential building there is absolutely always a risk that human beings are going to be inside and that person knows that.
"Even with the lights out at two AM in the morning that person knows that's a possibility but yet they go in anyway. So it's definitely a different level of crime and that's the thing that I worry about," Kerr said.
Local business owner and resident Vijay Patal said this was uncommon in the area and came as a shock.
"I've been here for the last 28 years, it's really peaceful here, hardly anything happens," he said.
While, another resident, Marie Ward, said she had altered her daily walking route and avoided hidden pathways.
Police have asked the public for any information that could help them identify if the two incidents are linked.
They have also asked residents to check their sections and yards for any items that may have been stolen or discarded by the offender.
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