A TORONTO man was refused bail in Newcastle court on Tuesday after he allegedly hit a police officer on the Central Coast in a car stolen from Albury.
The Volkswagen Jetta was allegedly stolen and driven to West Gosford, where it was spotted on Monday morning.
Officers patrolling the area saw the car at a Manns Road service station where they allege the occupants stole fuel.
Police allegedly pursued the car through multiple suburbs but called off the chase for safety reasons.
A Highway Patrol member was deploying road spikes on Narara Valley Drive at Narara about 9.20am when he was allegedly struck by the car.
A witness wrote on Facebook that the officer had gone "flying through the air".
The 42-year-old senior constable suffered serious leg and facial injuries, fractured ribs and a punctured lung.
He was flown to the Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment.
The driver allegedly continued for several hundred metres after hitting the officer before abandoning the car and running into nearby bushland.
The male passengers, aged 15, 19 and 24, were arrested on Monday afternoon.
A 24-year-old man who was the alleged driver was also arrested and was charged with aggravated driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while escaping pursuit and other driving offences.
The Toronto man, who has links to Albury, will return to court in January.
He has previously faced Albury court over unrelated matters.
The passengers were released pending further inquiries.
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