Police were going door-to-door in the Nelson suburb of Brightwater on Thursday as they piece together the abduction of a teenager in the area.
It is understood the girl failed to hear the attacker's car approaching on Ellis Street on Wednesday night because she was listening to music on headphones.
The man drove onto the wrong side of the road and pulled the 16-year-old into the back seat before driving off.
She managed to fight him off, but police say she has been distraught while recounting the ordeal during interviews.
A police spokesperson says they are counting on DNA evidence to trace the man.
