Wisconsin woman leaps on her car to stop carjacker at gas station

[steve2470]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wisconsin-woman-leaps-car-stop-carjacker-gas-station/story?id=47633136

<iframe src='http://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=47634495' width='640' height='360' scrolling='no' style='border:none;'></iframe> (wish I could embed)

A Wisconsin woman was pumping gas this week when a thief jumped into the driver's seat of her car and she leapt onto the hood of the car to stop him, in a shocking moment caught on video.

Melissa Smith, 28, of Milwaukee, said at least four other cars were at the gas station alongside her as she pumped gas Tuesday afternoon.

When she got out of her car to remove the gas pump, she said she left the keys in the ignition.

She then "turned around and realized someone was in my car."

"I had a 'this is not happening today' moment," she recalled to ABC News, and "ran around my car and then decided to hop on."

[steve2470]

1. wow that lady has GUTS! you go Melissa Smith! nt

[Orrex]

2. She's lucky she wasn't killed

This is a good reminder to take the keys out of the ignition. I wasn't even aware that people don't do that already.

[steve2470]

6. she was very lucky

I'm not sure, even back in my youth, that I would have been so brave/impetuous.

[anneboleyn]

18. My thoughts too. VERY LUCKY the carjacker didn't take off or turn suddenly as she would have been

dead. I know people lose their heads in moments like these but killing yourself over a car (unless her child was inside and she panicked) isn't a good idea -- police and insurance deal with carjackers. Someone who will carjack a car that blatantly might also take off suddenly (what the hell would she do then?) and/or try to spin her off the hood (most likely), and the results of hitting the concrete would not be pretty.

[tblue37]

20. I always take my purse with me and lock the car doors when I pump gas, because of "sliders":

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[Phoenix61]

3. I'm not paranoid but I saw this on FB and

My gas tank is on the passenger side of the car. The article noted that people would sneak open the driver's door and steal the woman's purse who was pumping gas if there was no one else in the car. So.. I started locking the car when I get out to pump gas. Sure as shit a few weeks later I'm pumping gas and hear the driver's door handle being pulled. A girl pops up and just kinda grinned at me. There's no doubt my purse would have been gone if that door had been unlocked.

[hamsterjill]

4. Good going!

I ALWAYS lock the doors when I get out at the gas station. My gas tank is also on the passenger side. Like you, I've had a couple of instances where I could tell that a passerby, etc. was giving more interest to my vehicle than what an ordinary passerby should be giving.

Edited to Add: Also, don't ever leave your purse in the "baby seat" of a grocery cart when you are putting your groceries in your vehicle. Thugs have been known to drive by and grab a purse from the cart and then speed off. I always put my purse in the front seat, open the rear hatch, and then hit the lock button while I put in items.

It's never a bad thing to be careful when you can!

[steve2470]

5. I always take my keys out but I don't lock my doors because I have nothing worth stealing

Maybe I should from now on.

[hamsterjill]

12. Doubt you carry a purse?

Presumptive of me, I suppose, but perhaps you don't have a large bag sitting on your front seat, which is where I normally keep my purse.

[steve2470]

13. no purse, no or large bag nt

[Moosepoop]

14. I always carry a purse with a long strap.

That way I can wear the purse cross-body style. This was originally on the advice of my chiropractor, as having the strap on the opposite shoulder from the purse eliminated the need to hike one shoulder up to keep the strap from sliding off. An added benefit is that it makes a purse-snatching much less likely. I just keep the purse zipped to ensure that my wallet isn't lifted from it. I wear it this way while pumping gas, with the car keys in the purse.

At the grocery store, if I don't feel like carrying the purse around while shopping, I put it in the "baby seat" and then use the child restraint strap to secure it. I wrap one side of the restraint strap around the purse handle and then buckle the ends together, with the buckle itself facing underneath. As long as I stay right with the cart, the odds of a purse snatching are again greatly diminished.

My daughters used to joke -- "Hang on, Mom has to buckle up the baby..."

[peggysue2]

16. I do the same thing

I was having neck and shoulder problems, so I switched to a smaller purse and started doing the cross body sling. Distributes the weight much better and the purse is small enough I can wear it that way while driving with my seat belt on. Better yet? The shoulder and neck pain disappeared.

As for what this woman did, I imagine she acted on impulse. Because to think about such an action is to put yourself in undeniable danger. She could have easily been killed. But it's the sort of action that instinctively gives rise to a cheer: no, not on this day is the thug going to win.

So, I tip my hat to her. But God Almighty she was lucky.

[tblue37]

21. This is why I wear a cross-body purse--it is ON ME while I load my groceries into my trunk. nt

[hamsterjill]

23. Good idea!

n/t

[usedtobedemgurl]

34. I put my purse in the grocery cart but I actually strap it in....

That way if someone tries to run off with it they take the cart with them as well and that sure as heck should surprise them AND slow them down! lol.

[anneboleyn]

19. Yes, exactly. I have been locking our cars for years for these reasons. Purses get stolen.

[Warpy]

27. My gas tank is on the driver's side now but it doesn't make that much difference

I do drive a car that is not of interest to most carjackers, a little Kia. About the only thing I leave open as I run to pay for the gas is the lid on the gas tank. Bag and keys are with me.

It's also an incredibly bad idea to sit in your car while the pump is running. Many gas station fires are set off by static electricity as a person gets into or out of the car.

I live in a crap neighborhood so I'm always aware of who's in my surroundings.

[DFW]

7. There is, as far as I know, only ONE reason to leave your car door unlocked, ever

When I was in college in Philadelphia, there was a strike of the garbage collectors. Trash was piled high everywhere. One smart woman had a new baby, and her dirty disposable diapers were making her residence unbearable.

She got herself a large cardboard box, stuffed the diapers into as many plastic bags as she could so the smell wouldn't be too apparent, sealed them, and then stuffed the bags tightly into the cardboard box. She then got some wrapping paper and wrapped the box in it, and then tied it with a big fancy ribbon. She then drove into town, left the box with the gift-wrapped dirty diapers on the back seat of her car, and left the car unlocked on a street in town. She left the car, went for a ten minute walk, and then returned. Sure enough, the box was gone without a trace.

[steve2470]

8. smart lady indeed

I did something similar. I had some old loudspeakers (about 2.5 feet high) that I no longer wanted. I put them outside my apartment on the second floor, which was easily accessible via a common floor and stairwell. Next morning, voila, speakers gone.

Living in the city is great but you do have to be careful.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

28. We caught a car prowler at our old office like that

We left an ancient PowerBook G4 on the passenger side of an easily broken into Toyota and put it directly under a security camera. At about 11:15 in the morning the thief took the bait and we had a perfect video to take to the police. The cops recognized the guy in the video and picked him up at a nearby hobo camp, the PowerBook G4 (this was 2011) was not recovered sadly.

This asshole had smashed about $10,000 worth of glass at that point to steal change and CDs.

[Warpy]

29. I love that one

but she was lucky the box was the only thing missing.

Friends back in Boston used to pull the radios out of their cars to make them less attractive to thieves.

[DFW]

32. This was 40 years ago

These days, she would have been lucky to find the wheels intact.

[footinmouth]

9. I travel with a large dog

I wonder how many people thought about it and reconsidered because of her. She looks friendly enough (she is) but would not take kindly to someone entering "Her" domain.

[steve2470]

10. her FB post

https://www.facebook.com/melissa.marian.1/videos/vb.1600860252/10208962364608602/?type=2&theater

[talldarkhandsome]

11. You Go Girl!

[Blue_true]

15. I never leave my keys in my car when I am outside it.

Simple commonsense.

[MissB]

17. Another reason I'm glad to live in Oregon.

We don't get out of our cars to pump gas

Seriously though, it's stupid to jump on a car. Could've been killed.

[anneboleyn]

22. Yes, it's very stupid, and it makes me cringe that so many on FB were cheering this as she was in

very, very serious danger -- yes, it sucks and we can empathize with her anger but damn this was not a smart move. Even just flipping her off the hood with a sharp turn could have killed her.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

26. Cars make people do stupid things

When I was a young man, I was in Arizona with some friends when our car was stolen, we put our heads together and decided the best course of action was to steal it back.

Our fathers respectfully (or not) disagreed... my dad brought it up not even a month ago.

[DavidDvorkin]

24. Take your damned keys with you, and lock your damned car

Always and everywhere.

[Grammy23]

30. I have a locking gas cap, so even though I can pop the gas tank door open from inside,

I still need a key to remove the cap. So my keys are with me all the time.

I agree with several others who have commented how foolish it was for her to jump on top of her car. If her child was inside, I could see doing anything to protect your child, but anything else? No way. I know some will applaud her but had she been killed in her attempt to stop the thief, would they agree her attempt to stop the thief was "worth it". 🙄🤔🙄

[JoeStuckInOH]

31. Not very smart on two counts...

A) You should not get reenter a car while pumping gas. Static can build and a potential spark when removing the nozzle could ignite the fuel if the vapor recovery system isn't working well. This is not a myth... there are surveillance videos on Youtube of this kind of thing happening if you need to see for yourself.

B) Someone's trying to drive away and your first instinct is to hop onto the potential 2-ton rolling weapon?!? They are already committing grand theft auto, so they don't think to highly of you or your well being right off the start. What makes you think they just wont run your ass over?

I don't view this as bravery or wit AT ALL. Moreso desperate frustration mixed with panic and whole lot of luck.

[iscooterliberally]

33. All these stories make me miss full service gas stations.

It's so much better when you can just stay in your car with your stuff and have an attendant pump the gas for you. I thought it was cool to pump my own gas when I was young, but now I'm not so sure. Carjackings, people stealing stuff out of your, skimmers on the credit card slots all make the cheaper gas per gallon less worthwhile. Not to mention the stinky gas pump handles. At least some stations have that glove, but I keep forgetting to use it.