A little more than two years after a New Zealand firefighter and helicopter pilot was found dead on the side of a Hunter Valley road, detectives have charged a man with murder over the 43-year-old's death.
Ian Pullen was in the Hunter helping with the region's preparations for the bushfire season when his lifeless body was found next to Carrington Street at Glenridding - near Singleton - just after 5.30am on September 29, 2018.
The respected pilot had been the apparent victim of a hit-and-run, police said at the time as they began looking into the mystery surrounding how Mr Pullen met his fate.
On Wednesday, police charged 29-year-old Singleton man Joshua Knight with murder, dangerous driving occasioning death and failing to stop after a vehicle's impact had caused death.
Mr Knight was arrested at Newcastle Police Station about 10am and was remanded in custody.
He briefly faced Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday afternoon - he was in the dock for less than a minute before Magistrate Andrew Eckhold adjourned the case to December 10.
Mr Knight did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
This week's charges came after detectives from Hunter Valley Police District formed Strike Force Awabakil in 2018 to investigate the circumstances of Mr Pullen's death.
Last year, on the first anniversary of the incident, investigators announced a $350,000 reward for information that led to the case being solved.
Mr Pullen's mother and brother travelled to Newcastle to publicly help police in their appeal for information when the reward was announced.
Police said in a statement on Wednesday Strike Force Awabakil detectives were continuing their investigations.
The father of three lived with his wife Vicki and their youngest child near Taumarunui, in the central part of New Zealand's North Island, before he died.
Mr Pullen had spent a lot of time working as a pilot across Australia during his career - he and Mrs Pullen had spent about nine years living in the country.
