A New Zealand lawyer living in Australia has been killed in a suspected hit-and-run and was hit by a car just as he stepped out of an Uber.

Mitch East, 28, died at the scene in east Sydney’s Tamarama about 4am Sunday, the Daily Telegraph reported. Passers-by found him unconscious on Fletcher St.

He was working for major law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler in Australia, the Daily Telegraph said.

Before he moved to Australia, East worked as a solicitor for Meredith Connell, a senior advisor for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Terrorist Attack, and as a clerk to New Zealand Supreme Court judge Justice Sir William Young.

East’s death left his family distraught.

Police are looking for a white SUV, captured on CCTV camera in the area where East was killed.

Detective Assitant Superintendent Adam Solah told the Daily Telegraph: “The family are obviously very upset and distraught, and our hearts go out to them, having to find out such difficult news.”

Police had “extensive” footage of the incident, but could not confirm whether it was a hit-and-run, the Daily Telegrpah said.

Mitch East, 28, died after being hit by a car in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The hit-and-run was a theory that was “forming part of [police’s] lines of inquiry”, Solah told the Daily Telegraph.

Police were “looking at all avenues”, he said.

“We encourage anyone who has dashcam footage or … CCTV that hasn’t been yet provided to police, we urge you to come forward and provide that footage,” Solah told the Daily Telegraph.

Solah also wanted anyone who saw East or who may have been involved in the incident to contact Bondi police or Australia’s Crimestoppers on (+64) 1800 333 000.

East was wearing a blue button-up shirt and tan-coloured shorts when he died, the Daily Telegraph said.