Overview
- A rental Kia was found partly on the edge of the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park after the driver reversed in an apparent attempt to exit the park and became stuck.
- Police discovered the 21-year-old driver in the vehicle eating the McDonald’s order he had been delivering and say he told officers his navigation system directed him into the park.
- Officers administered a breath test that returned negative, arranged blood tests at St Vincent’s Hospital, and then transferred the man to Day Street Police Station where he was charged with negligent driving, unsafe reversing and unlicensed driving.
- The fountain sustained minor damage with smashed glass at the base of one bronze figure and scratch marks on its edge, and one report quoted the council estimating repairs at about $15,000–$20,000.
- The Archibald Fountain is a heritage work gifted to the City of Sydney in 1932, and the incident raises immediate questions about delivery navigation, rental-driver checks and protection of public monuments.