Waikato police are looking for sightings of a black Toyota Auris after a 15-year-old teen was deliberately run over several times in Ngāruawāhia in a "targeted attack" earlier this week.
Detective Inspector Darrell Harpur said the boy remains in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital.
"The boy was walking on Old Taupiri Road near the entrance to the Hopuhopu Sports Park at around 5pm on Wednesday when he was struck by a car and run over. The car involved then left the scene," he said in a statement on Friday.
The Hopuhopu Sports Park is a popular sports arena in Ngāruawāhia.
Investigators are combing through the car believed to have been used in the attack, after officers found it abandoned in the carpark of the Pukemokemoke Bush Reserve on Thursday night.
"We know this car - a black Toyota Auris with the registration number NBE817 - left the Huntly township at approximately 4:40pm on Wednesday 10 April and travelled to the Hopuhopu area," said Det Insp Harpur
Police want to hear from anyone who may have seen the car - or have dashcam footage of it - if they were travelling around Huntly, or on Great South Rd and the Taupiri area on Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm.
"We would also like to hear from anyone who saw this car or may have dashcam footage in and around Pukemokemoke Bush Reserve on Tauhei Road," said Det Insp Harpur.
Police believe it was a "targeted attack", he added.
"We have a dedicated team investigating this incident and are supporting the victim's family."
Police have set up a portal for the public to upload images and short videos into.
Those with "larger quantities of footage" can contact police by calling 105 and quoting file number 240410/3018.
