A father who left his car running for a quick stop at a New York City ATM last week found himself hanging out of his driver seat's window after a man attempted to steal his car in broad daylight.
The son of the 56-year-old victim says his father is lucky to be alive following the brazen carjacking on the morning of July 29 on the 2000 block of Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. Video obtained by NBC New York shows the suspect getting into the victim's car, not once but twice, as the owner tried to wrestle the vehicle back from the thief.
The unidentified victim spotted the suspect hopping into his car, and just when the suspect was driving away, the father runs up and reached through the window in an attempt to stop him.
"I'm kind of mad all over again now that I see the video," the victim's son told NBC New York. That's because the footage also shows the thief trying to speed away with his father hanging out the window. The car then slammed into a city bus.
"Thank God my dad didn't fly across and died," the son added.
With the father and suspect still struggling for the wheel and the driver's door ajar, the vehicle reversed and crashed into a parked car. That's when the thief ran out of the car, but he didn't stop there.
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The car owner chased the suspect around and the attempted thief tried to get into his car again. However, a witness got involved and the two chased away the suspect.
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Police say the suspect fled on foot southbound on Nostrand Avenue, and he's still on the run.
The victim was left with minor injuries and no one else was hurt in the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).