Woman 'traumatised' after being dragged along by OWN car after thief stole it
A woman was left traumatised after she was pushed out of a car and dragged along a road after a man creeped up behind her.
Angela Johnson, 54, from Newport, had been working the weekend delivery job - as she had done for the past 18 years - when a man stole her car as she was getting out of the vehicle in Wattsville on Sunday evening. Gwent Police are now appealing for any CCTV or witnesses that can help their investigation.
"At around 9.20pm I had arrived at my next delivery location on Islwyn Road in Wattsville," Angela said. "I took off my seatbelt and grabbed the bag of food." It comes after a mum was left 'traumatised' after a dog walker pushes her in canal as she cycles to work.
She added: "I opened the car door and as I was getting out of the car, a man pushed me out of the way and said: 'I want your car.' He got into the driver's seat and starting driving off.
"I am the type of person to put up a fight and in the moment my instinct was to shout and grab the wheel or any part of the car I could.
"It didn't stop him though. He drove off, dragging me along the road with him, and left me there. Everything was in that car. My phone, my handbag, my cleaning equipment for my weekday job, as well as my week's worth of earnings – about £500 in cash."
Angela and her husband Kelvin have managed to track the car's location through Life360. Police officers and police dogs were able to locate the Audi A1 and said it was left in St John's Terrace in Crosskeys. The culprit is alleged to have stolen the cash, cleaning equipment, Angela's phone and her handbag, WalesOnline reported.
"I have been a delivery driver for over 18 years and nothing this awful has ever happened to me before," Angela added. It is not like I was down a dark alleyway – it was in broad daylight on a residential road. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Now I just feel so angry it makes me cry when I get asked about what happened. But I couldn't have stopped it. I remember being so terrified afterward that I collapsed with fear and couldn't breathe. Someone came out of their house then and called the police for me." The Mirror has contacted Gwent Police for comment.
Police have confirmed they are investigating reports of a theft. A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "We received a report of the theft of a car in Islwyn Road, Wattsville, Caerphilly borough, at around 9.30pm on Sunday, August 10.
"An unknown man is alleged to have entered the unlocked blue Audi A1 and driven away. Officers attended and located the car in St John's Terrace, Crosskeys, at around 10.50pm.
"A handbag containing a quantity of cash, a hoover, cleaning equipment, and a mobile phone are believed to have been stolen from inside the car. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
"Anyone who witnessed the reported theft or has relevant CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist our investigation can contact us via our website, call 101, or send us a direct message on our Facebook or X social media pages quoting log reference 2500256088.
"You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with information or online."
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