Shocking surveillance footage captured the moment a heroic homeowner battled a gang of car thieves as a frenzied brawl erupted on his sleepy Connecticut street.
Law enforcement in the city of Rocky Hill are still searching for the thieves, who fled in a black Mercedes after being swept away by their intended victim.
Home security video of the incident initially shows a man sprinting to the car and quickly gaining entry after it was apparently unlocked.
But his attempts to take off in a vehicle were quickly thwarted when the owner caught him in the act and struggled with him as he dragged him out of the car.
Three others exit the nearby Mercedes as the two continue to struggle. One of the carjackers hits the hero with his shoe, but he refuses to surrender as the group appears to cut their losses and frantically flee the scene.
One of the thieves managed to access the apparently unlocked Infinity
The heroic homeowner catches the thief in action and pulls him out of the car
Law enforcement officers are currently searching for the perpetrators after they managed to crawl away from the crime scene, while the victim was taken to hospital after being injured in the fight.
Footage, released by police as they further investigate the incident, showed the would-be car thief struggling with the target seconds after he broke into his car.
As the fight rages down the driveway, the two men appear to be struggling with an object in the homeowner’s hands.
After realizing that the attempted car theft had been thwarted, three other men plunge into the fray, before beating the victim repeatedly.
One of the assailants begins to hit the man with his shoe after it flies off while furiously kicking the victim, while the others jump onto his back and throw punches at his head.
After nearly a minute of struggling, the perpetrators all quickly flee the vehicle, while the heroic victim continues to try to fight them off.
After the homeowner intervenes, he begins to struggle with the thief in his driveway
Three other attackers rush to the scene after realizing the car thief is involved in a furious brawl
The heroic victim continues to fight the men as they rush in and beat him repeatedly
After about a minute of fighting, the three perpetrators fled the scene and sped off in a black Mercedes sedan
Although he was able to fend off the car thieves and save his vehicle, police warned that his intervention could have serious consequences.
“Thank God he wasn’t seriously hurt,” said Sgt. Jeffrey Foss-Rugan. “We see a lot of these incidents in the state and country where people intervene and the suspect may have a gun.”
He added that car theft victims should call 911 immediately and not approach burglars, especially if they have video footage of their home.
“We have a lot of tools at our disposal that we could try to follow up on to try to locate these suspects and I know it’s very difficult when you see people breaking into your car,” Foss-Rugan added.
The incident has sparked fears of a crime spree in the Connecticut community, and neighbors say the attack isn’t the first time their neighborhood has been targeted.
“Our car has been broken into our driveway several times in the past, that’s just such a violation,” the homeowner’s neighbor Lisa told NBC Connecticut.
“It’s so close to home. It’s really frustrating,” another local added.
Douglas Russell, who lives next door to the victim, told Fox61: “They’re a really nice family and it’s just a shame to see this happen. There’s been a real steady increase in this thing over the last three years or so. They seem to be getting bolder.’
“The fact that it happened in daylight is the scariest thing,” added neighbor Debra Devanney. ‘Normally you think something like this can happen at night, but now they’re walking outside in daylight.
“It’s pretty scary. It is real. Three houses away. You think you are in a safe neighborhood and you are not. It’s terrifying.’
The homeowner reportedly suffered minor injuries after the shocking fight, while police say additional patrols are being deployed to the area.
“We have to keep our garages locked. We have to keep the doors locked. We need to keep the valuables out of the car,” Foss-Rugan added, urging locals to take preventive measures.
Anyone with information pertaining to the ongoing investigation is asked to contact Rocky Hill Police Department.