An elderly woman could do nothing but watch in disbelief after a man stole her car right in front of her, as the brutal act was caught on camera.
Shocking dashcam footage captured the moment the man drove away in a white SUV parked outside a shopping center in Wharf Street, Tweed Heads in northern NSW, about 3.30pm on Wednesday.
A video uploaded to the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page showed the moment the thief drove away in the vehicle.
Moments earlier, the elderly woman who owns the SUV was allegedly tricked by a man into believing the vehicle had a flat tire.
The man entered the vehicle and appeared to lock the doors from the inside while pretending to help the woman.
The footage shows several nearby bystanders approaching the vehicle to help the elderly lady.
A bearded man tried to open the door but found it locked, while the motorist who recorded the dashcam footage was in the vehicle and tried to block the SUV from behind.
An elderly woman watched in disbelief as her car was stolen right before her eyes (pictured) after a thief pretended to help her change a flat tire
The elderly woman was visibly upset when three male bystanders tried to intervene and talk to the driver.
As a man in a yellow hi-vis shirt rushed to get help, the thief turned the car to the right into the parking lane and sped away.
The older woman placed her hands on her head and leaned over in disbelief as the driver took off with her car.
Minutes earlier, the man who allegedly stole the SUV was captured on dashcam footage walking along the sidewalk in front of the parked car.
He was seen wearing a baseball cap, a printed shirt and shorts and was carrying a can of soda.
Hundreds of users commented on the Facebook post, including the elderly woman’s daughter, Natalie Sajo, who praised the men who tried to help the elderly woman.
“This was my mother, is there anyone here who helped her, I would like to thank you!” Natalie wrote.
“Kudos to the guys who tried to help this lady, we need more like you!” said another user.
“I hope she’s doing well, it’s terrible that this had to happen to her.”
The man who allegedly stole the vehicle (pictured) was seen nearby wearing a baseball cap and carrying a soda can.
A NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia officers are investigating the incident.
“Police learned that when a 73-year-old woman returned to her parked car and unlocked it, an unknown man allegedly entered the same vehicle, locked the doors and drove away from the accident,” the spokesperson said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.