Local Man Rescued By PolAir from Westfield Miranda Carpark After 2-Day Christmas Shopping Ordeal

Sandy Shores | Editor in Chief | Sutherland Shire Gazette

27 December 2025

A Sutherland Shire man has been miraculously rescued after going missing on Christmas Eve while "popping out" to Westfield Miranda to buy a last-minute gift for his wife. He was discovered 72 hours later when PolAir conducted a daring helicopter extraction from the notoriously congested Jackson Avenue “Stacker” Carpark.

Craig Thompson, 43, was last seen confidently entering the multi-level carpark at 3:00 pm on Christmas Eve, promising to be “back in 20 minutes.” His family assumed he’d been “taking his time for once” — until he failed to show up by Christmas dinner.

Authorities located Thompson’s car wedged between two SUVs in the lower-level traffic abyss, where festive shoppers are often trapped for hours trying to exit. Security footage showed him wandering Level 5, clutching a scented candle and a box of Ferrero Rocher, visibly distressed.

“At first, I thought I could outsmart the system by taking a secret exit ramp,” Thompson explained after his dramatic airlift, still visibly shaken. “But every ramp led back to Myer. When I saw the ‘Exit’ sign was just mocking me, I knew it was over.”

Westfield security attempted multiple ground rescues, but all efforts were thwarted by relentless vehicle gridlock. With time running out, PolAir deployed a rescue helicopter, hoisting Thompson to safety just as a new wave of post-Christmas sales shoppers flooded the carpark.

His wife, Kylie, expressed relief but mild irritation: “He still didn’t get my present, but at least he’s home. Maybe next year, he’ll shop online.”

Thompson was interviewed live on Sunrise, calling the ordeal “character building.” Channel 7 is reportedly in talks for a reality TV series tentatively titled Trapped: Surviving the Westfield Carpark.