A bound man who was found stuffed inside his car's trunk and was probably being driven to his grave might have been saved by a fender bender.
The accident in Upper Manhattan Wednesday morning saved the New Jersey man, who police believe was attacked by someone posing as a legimate buyer for the man's 2008 BMW.
Now police are searching for that violent imposter, who they believe met the victim when he posted a for sale ad on the Internet for his BMW.
"We think the guy didn't want to pay for the car," said a source.
Bound hand and feet, the hapless BMW owner was found with stabs wounds all over his body and with his ear almost completely severed, police said. He was also stripped of his wallet and police had to rely on the BMW's registration to identify him.
However the would-be killer and car thief was thwarted by the ice-slicked streets of Inwood, police said. He rear-ended a taxi near a stop sign by 10th Avenue and Dyckman Street, police said. After the fender bender, he ran off, the cabby called 911 and responding officers found the victim inside the trunk. The plates on his BMW had been changed and didn't match the registration, police said.
