One dead, car split in half during fiery crash in Melbourne’s south-east

One person has died, and two others were seriously injured when a car hit a pole and split in half in a fiery crash in Melbourne’s south-east overnight.

The car, a gray BMW X5, crashed into a telegraph pole on Cheltenham Road near Bracknell Street in Keysborough about 12.40am on Wednesday, causing a “catastrophic” crash scene, detective acting sergeant Ash Pendrick said on Wednesday morning.

The car, which police believe was travelling at high speeds, collided with the pole, splitting in two and then bursting into flames, leaving debris strewn across the road.

“The consequences are huge, particularly after such a horrifying weekend on our roads... to then be standing here three days later at another preventable collision, it’s devastating,” Pendrick said.

Video footage of the crash scene shows the two halves of the car a considerable distance apart and still smouldering, with powerlines down and only the splintered quarter of a telegraph pole remaining in the ground.

A body, which has not yet been formally identified, was found inside the car after the fire was extinguished.

A man aged in his 20s was found injured at the scene, while another man, who police say fled the scene, was found in the front yard of a nearby house with serious injuries.

The two injured men are being treated at The Alfred hospital, Pendrick said.

The man who was found in a nearby front yard may have been attempting to flee, Pendrick said, however, “it hasn’t been confirmed yet, and he didn’t get a far distance away”.

“Obviously, due to his injuries, he was located nearby,” he said.

Police are investigating whether the rented BMW was stolen, as well as the seating positions of the occupants, Pendrick said.

“[Detectives will] be here for a significant period of time, gathering all the evidence to... understand how the collision occurred, but also to confirm where all the occupants were seated and what the involvement was in the collision.”

Traffic diversions remain in place around Chandler and Cheltenham roads, a busy arterial thoroughfare.

The crash comes after nine people died on Victoria’s roads during a horror Melbourne Cup weekend, and follows the collision between SUV driver Ivan Harrison, 43, and 19-year-old motorcyclist Zac Keinan, tragically killing both and leaving Harrison’s seven-year-old son and passenger Henry without a father.

On Friday afternoon, a 25-year-old died after his motorcycle collided with a car in Footscray.

Later that night, another motorcyclist died at the scene when he collided with a car in Healesville about 64km north-east of Melbourne’s CBD.

On Saturday afternoon, an elderly woman died after she was hit by a car in the state’s south-west.

The driver, a 52-year-old man, stopped at the scene and provided immediate assistance. He will be interviewed by detectives.

On Saturday night, a 26-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle lost control and crashed into a tree in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Blairgowrie.

The motorcycle’s passenger was airlifted to hospital with critical injuries.

As of October 25, 2026, more than 219 people have lost their lives on the roads since the start of this year, according to Victoria Police.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or with dashcam vision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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