Man who chased down stolen ute condemned by police

A man who chased down his stolen ute has drawn the ire of police.

Joe Fontana had his ute stolen from a worksite and pursued it in his boss’ car, chasing down and apprehending the would-be thief.

‘I believe I was doing the right thing,’ Joe told Neil Mitchell.

‘The police can’t chase people anymore. I can.

‘I don’t condone vigilantes but if I’d let them go, I wouldn’t have seen the ute again.’

But Police Commissioner Graham Ashton took a different view.

‘What if it didn’t work out?’ Mr Ashton said.

He said innocent members of the public could have been injured or killed by the high-speed chase.

Click play to hear Joe’s story

Click play to hear Commissioner Ashton’s response