A woman in Dublin was lucky to escape unharmed after she was almost run over by her own car that was being driven away at top speed by a thief.
A neighbour's doorcam captured the moment the white Alfa Romeo missed her by inches as it came speeding towards her as the burglar made his getaway.
The late-night theft took place in a housing estate in Tallaght just after midnight in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Car owner Joanne Byrne, 28, was lying awake in bed when she heard her front door creak open and thought it was one of her housemates arriving home.
She waited to hear her housemate come up the stairs but instead she heard keys jangling and then heard the distinctive, loud beep of her car doors being opened.
Terrifying footage from the doorcam shows a man approach the house at 12.25am wearing a Nike zipper hoodie.
The brazen thief is seen taking a screwdriver from his pocket and uses it to open the front door. Less than a minute later he is seen sneaking back down the driveway towards Joanne's car, which was parked on the road outside the house.
He starts up the engine and drives away as Joanne is seen running down the driveway and then is almost struck down.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror Joanne recalled the horrific ordeal, saying: "I was in bed on my phone when I thought one of the people that share the house had came home late.
"The door makes a loud noise when it opens because the hinges creak and I heard keys rattling and the door close so I waited to hear the girl come up the stairs but instead I heard my car click open.
"Because it’s very distinctive I knew was my car being opened so I pulled back my curtains to see the car starting.
"Luckily this day I had parked facing the cul-de-sac when normally I have it facing out of the estate ready to go to work, so I ran down the stairs thinking whoever is in it is someone sharing the house and is just moving it out of the way coz there is never much parking on that street.
"It was only when he accelerated towards me at top speed that I froze in the centre of the road and he almost hit me with my own car."
Joanne contacted the Gardai and still hopes that her car - a white Alfa Romeo with a 2010 Carlow registration plate - can be recovered.
She believes the vehicle could still be in the Tallaght area and it also has distinctive features including a front grille with two silver bars missing.
"Apparently there are many cars being stolen this way around Dublin and being abandoned in local near by estates to see if the car is not found then they move it again," she said.
"If people can keep an eye out my car is one of a kind there are not many around and it’s a Carlow reg with a grille on the front missing two silver bars."
Joanne also appealed to other car owners to take extra precautions to make sure your front door is fully secure and not to leave car keys near the front door, which makes it easier for robbers to make a quick getaway.
In a statement, a garda spokesperson said: "Gardaí are investigating an incident of theft that occurred at a residence in Tallaght, Dublin 24 in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 15th June 2022.
"Investigations are ongoing at this time."
Anyone with information can get in touch with Tallaght Garda station on (01) 666 6000.
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