Woman killed in Hamilton was 'beautiful soul inside and out'

Friday, 16 May 2025

The 30-year-old woman killed in Hamilton has been remembered as a beautiful soul “inside and out”.

Jayde Gilbert died on Thursday morning after a vehicle drove into the power pole she was standing next to on the corner of Ohaupo Rd and Kahikatea Drive. A homicide investigation was launched by police.

Gilbert’s friend Stevie Jane Ferguson told Stuff she was a “beautiful soul inside and out” with a lovely smile.

Ferguson said the pair were close when Gilbert lived in Christchurch.

“She was my bestie she call[ed] me her wifey,” Ferguson said. “I’m so sad and broken to [hear] that she passed, I will miss her.”

Police said on Thursday they were making inquiries to understand the circumstances of the crash, which took place about 9.30am.

A staff member at The Herbal Shop, a nearby store, told The Waikato Times she had heard from a passer by that there had been “a road rage incident of some kind” up the road shortly before the crash, though she could not say for certain whether the two incidents were connected.

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Nearby resident Jacob Rejith told The Waikato Times he had been asleep at the time of the crash but was awoken by the sound of a car alarm. He did not realise that a crash had happened close by.

It was initially reported that there were two vehicles were involved, but police later said that was not the case.

The Waikato Times reported that Senior Sergeant Leo Belay, who was at the scene, said nobody in either of two vehicles seen near the power pole had suffered any injuries.

A police spokesperson told Stuff on Friday there were not in a position to provide any further updates.