Pedestrians were astounded to see a man clinging to the top of a racing vehicle in Northeast Sunday afternoon.
The car was his, the driver a would-be thief. Fortunately, the man was unharmed, but he clung to the car for blocks before the vehicle finally came to a stop.
Police said the victim was making an Uber Eats delivery to an address on the 1200 block of E Street NE around 2 p.m. May 21, leaving his car, a blue Nissan Pathfinder, in the roadway. As he returned from his vehicle during the delivery, he unlocked the doors using the fob.
At that moment two suspects exited a black Kia that had parked in front of his car. According to the police report, one of the two said, “He got the key, he got the key.”
The delivery driver ran, but as he fled, he dropped his car keys.
One of the suspects took the keys and then got in the vehicle. It was then that the victim jumped on top of his car in an attempt to stop the suspect.
A man hopped on top of his car after it was stolen Sunday during a delivery on the 1200 block of E Street NE. Security video shows him cleaning to the vehicle as it screeches down a NE alley. @DCPoliceDept said he was luckily unharmed but warned it could’ve been much worse. pic.twitter.com/AvAf4zoue3
— HillRag DC (@HillRagDC) May 22, 2023
The report says the car travelled down 13th and D Streets NE; home security video shared with the Hill Rag shows the vehicle racing down Tennesee Avenue NE, then turning the wrong way onto C Street NE and up into an alley that the driver found to be a dead end.
At least two parked cars were damaged, struck by the driver of the stolen vehicle.
The suspect eventually stopped the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. The victim got into their vehicle and flagged down the police. He was fortunately uninjured.
In February, a man in Queens, NY jumped on his SUV when it was stolen outside a local store. According to NBC New York, the 28-year-old was critically injured when the thieves crashed into a fire hydrant a quarter mile later.
Officers said this man was fortunate the situation worked out the way it did.
“If someone tries to steal your car, don’t jump on the hood,” advised Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lieutenant Araz Alali.
“Thankfully, the complainant yesterday wasn’t hurt. But it could have been much worse. No car is worth your life.”
