The young police officer killed in a horrific crash has been identified as 20-year-old Constable Mia Lay, based at South Sydney.
The 20-year-old officer died after the police vehicle she was travelling in struck a tree in Redfern about 1.30am on Friday.
Paramedics treated the male constable who was driving before he was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Ms Lay had only been in the force for 16 months.
‘Mia was a loved police officer, she’d been in the force for 16 months, she had shown exceptional promise and was well loved,’ he said.
‘To lose a life in her prime is a terrible tragedy.
‘She’s shown exceptional promise and was well loved through the South Sydney Police Area Command.
‘She would have been an outstanding police officer, and to lose her life, both in its prime and just at the end of becoming a police officer, a terrible tragedy.’
Constable Mia Lay, 20, has died after the police car she was in crashed into a tree on Friday
She was a passenger in a police car when it crashed into a tree in Redfern around 1.30am
Police said the female constable died instantly, with the force of the impact tearing the Volkswagen apart
Commissioner Lanyon said the officers were responding to a report of a stolen vehicle in Glebe, but that it was ‘still incredibly premature’ to come to any conclusions about the cause of the crash.
Police Minister Yasmine Catley said Ms Lay’s colleagues called her an ‘angel’.
‘Both her parents spoke of how much she loved her job and how proud she was to be a New South Wales Police officer,’ she said.
‘It was clear the young woman loved what she was doing, but tragically, she went to work and never came home.’
The NSW Police watchdog said it would monitor the force’s investigation into the crash to ‘ensure public confidence’.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission said it could not independently investigate the incident until NSW Police finishes its probe and any coronial or criminal proceedings are over.
Premier Chris Minns said he was also thinking of the officer injured in the crash and those who responded at the scene.
It comes as horrifying CCTV footage has emerged of the moment the police car smashed into the tree at high speed before bursting into flames.
On Friday morning, officers could be seen hugging and comforting each other at the scene
CCTV footage shows the driver climbing out of the wreck around one minute later
Police have declared the crash a critical incident, with investigators now on the scene
The footage, which was shared by news.com.au, shows the driver climbing out of the wreck around one minute later.
A NSW Police rescue truck, which had been tailing the patrol car, could then be seen coming to a stop about 20 metres up the road, before responding officers rushed to the wreckage.
Nearby Regent Street remains closed in both directions between Lawson and Cleveland streets.
Motorists have been advised to avoid the area.
