Man who allegedly robbed dying Waihi man arrested

61-year-old Henry Pere tragically died of an aneurysm.
61-year-old Henry Pere tragically died of an aneurysm. Photo credit: Facebook / Henry Pere

A man whose behaviour police labelled "disgusting", after he allegedly stole Waihi man Henry Pere's wallet while he suffered what proved to be a fatal aneurysm, has been arrested.

Police say they detained a 24-year-old Napier man over the offence on Friday morning, and are not looking for anyone else.

The alleged culprit is scheduled to appear in the Waihi District Court on November 8, facing a charge of theft.

Mr Pere, 61, was given CPR after an artery failed on Wednesday last week. Locals were alerted to the sutuation when they heard him revving his car non-stop, his foot pressed firmly on the accelerator.

He was resuscitated and taken to a nearby park, where a rescue helicopter picked him up to take him to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition, but he later died.

Amongst all the chaos, an opportunistic thief allegedly took off with his wallet and phone.

Close friends of Mr Pere's family say they were devastated at the thief's actions, and expressed regret that they were unable to use photos stored on the phone for his funeral on Tuesday.

Waihi's Senior Constable Scott Tyrrell said it was "pretty disgusting sort of behaviour" by the man responsible.

"It was a pretty traumatic and chaotic scene - those there were doing vigorous CPR and did a brilliant job, they actually managed to revive the man," he told Fairfax.

"Then to discover they have taken the opportunity to swipe his wallet and cellphone is beyond belief really."

The wallet the Napier man is alleged to have stolen has not been recovered, police told Newshub.

Newshub.