Caught on dashcam: the stolen $140,000 car and the terrifying joyride through Newcastle

AS one commenter on the viral YouTube dashcam video pointed out, Darren Johns was driving like a man fleeing the police in a video game.

But this wasn't Grand Theft Auto, there were no stars flashing in the top corner of the screen.

This was suburban Newcastle in the middle of the afternoon a few days before Christmas. And there were no police behind him.

But Johns, 49, was driving like a maniac in an Audi R8, a $140,000 high-performance car that he had stolen while avoiding a police RBT in Merewether Heights.

Over the next 40 minutes his driving would range from impatient to potentially deadly as he raced from Merewether Heights to Hamilton and then to Charlestown and Windale, crossing to the wrong side of the road to overtake cars about 30 times, blowing through 10 stop and give way signs and running eight red lights.

Police would later decry what they saw in the video as "dangerous driving at an extreme level".

And, a few days later, the dashcam video that recorded the whole thing and led to his arrest would go viral - now up to more than 1.1 million views on YouTube.

Johns even stopped a few times during his joyride to show off, screaming at a group of people in Hamilton South to "come on get in here", those on the footpath - who he would shortly after nearly run over - refusing and offering a half-hearted "mad c--- Johno".

Later, he would stop outside a few houses in Windale, beep the horn so people could see him behind the wheel before taking off or stopping for a chat and ending it with "alright, I must prosper a little bit more".

And as he raced through red lights, over speed bumps and median strips, Johns was slowly destroying the high-performance car, leaving tyre marks in his wake that would later lead the owner and police directly to him.

JOYRIDE: Still images from the viral video showing Darren Johns driving a stolen Audi R8 around Newcastle.

Johns had attempted to have his matters diverted into the NSW Drug Court, a system where offenders are given a jail term, which is suspended provided they undertake a comprehensive treatment and case management plan.

But on Wednesday, Johns was back in Newcastle Local Court, his application to have the matter heard in the Drug Court withdrawn.

He pleaded guilty to a string of offences, including breaking into the house, stealing the Audi R8 and driving recklessly.

He will next appear in Newcastle District Court next month.