Mark Tromp has finally issued a statement – after flipping reporters the bird on Sunday – to apologise for his family’s bizarre interstate road trip, which saw police resources mobilised across two Australian states. 
 
 
 
 Victoria Police / Via Supplied ID: 9565878 
 
 “Without reservation, I apologise for the hurt and concern caused by these events,” he said. 
 
 “More than anything, my family and I need time to recover and receive appropriate assistance, including mental health services.” 
 
 
 
 Mark was found in northern Victoria on Saturday, five days after he was reported missing. His daughter Riana and wife, Jacoba, remain in hospital. 
 
 
 
 Last Monday, Mark and Jacoba and their three adult children, Riana, Mitchell, and Ella, left business papers, passports, bank cards, and phones scattered inside their unlocked house and embarked on an interstate road trip. One by one, each family member was arrested or hospitalised over the 1,500km drive. 
 
 
 
 Ella Tromp has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing the proceeds of a crime (the car) and will front court in April next year. 
 
 
 
 Riana Tromp was also charged with stealing a car but the charge was later dismissed under section 33 of the Mental Health Act of NSW, which excuses a mentally ill person from a crime. 
 
 “We will soon be reunited and together,” Mark said. “I hope that we will begin to make sense of our ordeal and return to a normal life.” 
 
 Those seeking help should call Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

 Mark Tromp has apologised for the “hurt and concern” caused by his bizarre family road trip which resulted in criminal charges and hospitalisations. 
 
 The father acknowledged, in a statement released through a relative on Tuesday morning, his family had been through a “difficult period” in recent days. 
 
 “We will soon be reunited and together I hope that we will begin to make sense of our ordeal and return to a normal life,” he said. 
 
 The family of five sparked an interstate search effort and intense media interest when they left their farmhouse in Silvan, east of Melbourne, unlocked and strewn with paperwork last Monday. 
 
 Ella Tromp charged with stealing car during bizarre family road trip Read more 
 
 Tromp and his wife, Jacoba, drove to New South Wales with their three adult children, leaving behind their passports, credit cards and mobile phones. 
 
 There is little detail about what prompted their departure, but Mitchell Tromp, 25, and his sister Ella, 22, told reporters on Sunday it was a family matter. 
 
 Mitchell had thrown his phone out the car window at Warburton, shortly after they left on Monday. He left the family trip at Bathurst the following day and made his own way back to Melbourne. 
 
 Ella left her parents near Goulburn in NSW and is alleged to have driven home in a stolen car. She was subsequently charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing proceeds of crime and is due to appear at Ringwood magistrates’ court on 19 April next year, police said on Monday. 
 
 Riana, 29, was reportedly found “catatonic” in the back of a man’s ute on Tuesday and was admitted to Goulburn hospital with stress-related health issues. 
 
 Jacoba was found on Thursday in Yass hospital and was later transferred to Goulburn, where both she and Riana remain. 
 
 The five-day search ended on Saturday when Mark Tromp was spotted on a street near Wangaratta airport, in Victoria’s north-east. 
 
 In Tuesday’s statement he added: “I am conscious of the burden these events have placed upon our extended family, friends and the community resources devoted to our aid. 
 
 “Without reservation, I apologise for the hurt and concern caused by these events. On behalf of our family, [I] express our deep gratitude to Victoria and New South Wales police, as well as the healthcare professionals who have looked after our physical and mental wellbeing. 
 
 “More than anything, my family and I need time to recover and receive appropriate assistance, including mental health services. To this end, we request that media organisations respect our request for privacy.” 
 
 • In Australia, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Support services in other countries can be found here
– The story of an Australian family on a five-day, 930-mile road trip that ended with most of them being either arrested or hospitalized one at a time is one of the strangest things you'll read this week. The Guardian reports it started Aug. 29 when Mark and Jacoba Tromp left home with their children Ella, 22; Mitchell, 25; and Riana, 29. The family left their home unlocked with phones, passports, and credit cards strewn about, according to BuzzFeed. Mitchell abandoned the family trip Aug. 30 and went home. Both Ella and Riana left the next day. Ella was arrested after allegedly stealing a car to drive home. Meanwhile, Riana was found "catatonic" in the back of a man's car. ABC reports she remains in the hospital with "stress-related health issues." Last Wednesday, police pulled over the Tromps' car after it was reported to be following another car. A man believed to be Mark fled into a park and wasn't found. The day after that, Jacoba was found by a citizen. She also remains in the hospital for "stress-related health concerns." Mark was finally picked up by police, who had been searching for the missing family, Saturday while running near an airport. He issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for causing "hurt and concern." “We will soon be reunited and together I hope that we will begin to make sense of our ordeal and return to a normal life,” the statement reads. Mitchell says his parents had been stressed about their business and were becoming paranoid.