Police are investigating after a man stole a parked car at an Auckland Mobil petrol station, driving off with the occupants - a mother and her two young daughters - still inside.

The incident happened as the woman’s husband went to pay for the petrol after fuelling up on Dominion Rd.

Police said they are investigating the incident, which happened yesterday.

The woman told the Herald, through a translator, she and her family had recently just come to New Zealand from Vietnam.

She said the incident left them shaken and scared, and worried about their safety.

“New Zealand is not as peaceful or safe as everyone thinks,” said the woman who did not want to be named.

The mother of two young children said they had stopped at the petrol station to fuel up for a drive out of Auckland.

“My husband was driving and we had our two young daughters sitting in the back seat,” she said.

“As my husband went to pay for the petrol after fuelling up, a man got into the car and drove away with me and my daughters in it. My children and I were extremely scared, and we were screaming and crying as he drove the car.”

After driving for about two minutes, the screaming and crying may have gotten to the man who stopped and yelled for them to get out.

“He kicked us out and drove away. At that time, I really didn’t know what to do. I was so scared that I got out of the car and just ran as fast as I could with the children back to the gas station where my husband was and asked everyone to help call the police,” the mother said.

Inspector Wayne Kitcher said police were investigating an incident in Mount Roskill. Kitcher said that just after midnight on Tuesday a member of the public was filling up his vehicle at a petrol station on Dominion Rd.

“When he went inside to pay, an offender got inside the vehicle and drove off with two other occupants who were still inside,” Kitcher said.

“The offender let the people exit the car a short time later before fleeing again, and the occupants walked back to the petrol station.”

Kitcher said police are following positive lines of inquiry in efforts to locate the offender and to locate the stolen vehicle, a silver Nissan Teana.

The woman said police drove the family back to their Auckland home from the petrol station, but they were still traumatised by what happened.

“My children and I are very scared. My eldest daughter, 11 years old, lost all her bags, her mobile phone, her iPad, and her clothes, all of which were left in the trunk of the car,” the mother said.

“Now they’re very scared and have nothing left. We could sleep the whole night.”

Police are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the 2005 Nissan Teana to call police on 105 and quote event number P56554956.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.