A teenage burglar's ambitious plan to fly to Melbourne using a stolen credit card was dramatically cut short by police, just an hour after he booked the tickets, marking the end of a prolific crime spree across the Illawarra region.
A Series of Stolen Cars and Break-Ins
Court documents have detailed the extensive criminal activities of Zac Collins, who was 18 at the time. His first series of offences began in mid-May 2024, when he was caught driving an Audi Q3 that had been stolen from a dealership. The unlicensed driver was later seen in a stolen Mazda, taken from a Wollongong home.
In the early hours of one morning, Collins and two others broke into a Horsley home while the occupants slept, stealing a mountain bike, a wallet, and credit cards from a vehicle. The stolen Mazda was also involved in a significant crash in Warrawong on May 20, after Collins disobeyed a left-turn-only sign and collided with a van. He and a passenger fled the scene, leaving behind an injured occupant in the other vehicle.
From Rehabilitation to Re-offending
After a police chase on May 29 that ended with Collins damaging another stolen Mazda on Russell Street, he was arrested. He was granted conditional bail in September 2024 to attend a rehab facility in western NSW, but he left the program. A warrant was issued for his arrest in late October.
Undeterred, Collins embarked on a second crime spree just two weeks later. This included three service station drive-offs, stealing more than $328 worth of diesel in a stolen vehicle. In the early hours of November 17, 2024, he broke into a Warilla home while a family slept upstairs, stealing car keys and an engagement ring among other items.
He later used a stolen gift card from that home to purchase Nike shoes and socks worth $280 from a Shellharbour store. Collins and an accomplice even returned to the same Warilla home to steal a Nissan Navara using the previously stolen keys; this vehicle remains missing.
The Foiled Flight and Final Arrest
Collins's criminal activities escalated further with a break-in at a Shell Cove home around midnight on November 20, where he stole car keys, a wallet, scooters, and a Ford Everest while another family slept. He then attempted to break into six homes in Blackbutt and Flinders, successfully entering a seventh in Flinders, from which he took a wallet, a bike, and a bottle of beer.
It was from this Flinders home that he stole a credit card, which he used to book plane tickets to Melbourne. He initially booked them for December but later changed the flight to depart on the same day at 11.40 am, incurring a change fee of $753 on the stolen card.
His plans were abruptly halted when police attended a Mount Warrigal home at 6.50 am on November 20. Collins ran out the back door and jumped a fence, leading officers on a chase through several streets. The dog squad was called in, and he was eventually found hiding in a backyard and arrested.
At Wollongong Local Court, Collins pleaded guilty to 33 offences, including multiple counts of aggravated break and enter, driving stolen cars, and police pursuit. He has been committed for sentencing in the District Court at a later date, where other offences will also be taken into account.
