Last night, just after 9 p.m., Samantha Petrevski and Daniel Sperandio were traveling along Donnybrook Road in Donnybrook when they encountered a vehicle that had crashed into a road barrier and flipped over.
The couple stopped to assist the driver of the overturned car, who was captured on CCTV footage emerging unsteadily from the trunk, surrounded by a number of bystanders who had also pulled over to offer help.
In an unexpected twist, the driver of the wrecked vehicle slipped away from the crowd, hopped into the couple’s Holden, and sped off.
“Suddenly, as we’re trying to get everyone to safety and wait for emergency responders, someone shouts, ‘Whose red car is that? He’s driving off in it!’” Petrevski recounted.
“We followed the trail of oil, found the car abandoned, and as we arrived at the spot, we saw him getting out. That’s when I started chasing him,” Sperandio explained.
The stolen Holden was eventually discovered abandoned not far from the scene, near the intersection of Rocco Avenue and Hawkesbury Drive.
Police believe it was involved in another crash before it was dumped.
“It just makes me feel sick,” Petrevski said.
Police believe the Land Cruiser had been stolen from Burnside Heights, more than 40 km from where it crashed in Donnybrook, early yesterday.
The owner of the Land Cruiser told 9News the car had only been parked on the street for 17 minutes when it was taken.
The offender remains on the run, after a search by local police and the dog squad failed the locate him.
Both vehicles will be forensically analysed in the hopes officers can track down the offender.
Anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the crash is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
