Photo: Supplied / Police
A bus company has applauded the actions of one of its Napier drivers who was nearly hit by a 1 kilogram rock that sailed through the front window of his moving coach.
The bus was carrying teenagers and being driven along Napier's Willowbank Avenue just before 2pm on Friday when a rock smashed through the window, narrowly missing the driver and one passenger, before landing on another passenger's lap.
The rock weighed about 1kg and measured about 11 centimetres long. It left splinters of glass scattered across the dashboard and driver's seat.
Tranzit bus and coach general manager Jenna Snelgrove said the driver handled the "frightening experience" extremely well.
Photo: Supplied / Police
"We are very grateful that our driver and our passengers received no injuries as a result of this incident," she said.
"We'd like to commend our driver who controlled the bus, prioritised passenger safety and called for support to safely transfer passengers to another coach."
The driver was being supported and the company was continuing to work with police, she said.
"We'd also like to say a big thank you to the Hawke's Bay community who have been very supportive over the last few days."
Senior Sergeant Kevin Stewart said it seemed the rock was deliberately thrown at the bus - but it was not yet clear whether there was malicious intent.
Police wanted to hear from the person who threw it, or anyone who saw what happened, he said.