Video: Mother, daughter wield bat as they fight back against car thieves outside New Jersey home
HILLSIDE, N.J. (WABC) -- A mother and daughter in New Jersey took matters into their own hands when thieves rolled up to their house -- and rolled off with one of their cars.
Video from a neighbor's security camera, shows the thieves pull up in front of Andrea Hayes' house in Hillside in a white Acura.
The video shows the masked thieves exit the Acura and approach two vehicles sitting in the home's driveway warming up.
They check both, before deciding to steal the Honda CRV parked behind the first car in the driveway. But the owners of the vehicles, a mother and daughter come out to confront the suspects.
"As (my daughter) grabbed the bat, the car was going- it jumped off the driveway and then came around to get on the sidewalk and she took the bat and she flung it and busted the car window," victim Andrea Hayes said.
Glass was flying as the bat shattered the CRV's window. Andrea's daughter was injured when the stolen car ran over her toe. It was a bold step trying to catch the thieves.
"It was just adrenaline. You know, the fact that someone was bold enough to come on to your property and, you know, you just you just react," Hayes said.
Hayes' daughter is recovering from her toe injury but her quick action helped police recover the stolen vehicle a short distance away.
Andrea had the window repaired and has purchased an old-fashioned club.
In 2022, there were 126 car thefts in Hillside. That number jumped last year to 144.
"But I'm thankful to have the car back. The detective said that you know, the fact that the broken window was- it might have been a deterrent," Hayes said.
A neighbor's camera caught all of the action which police are using as evidence. But this was the second time thieves had targeted the cars in the driveway. Andrea says something must be done to stop the rash of car thefts impacting so many communities in New Jersey.
"People are tired. You know, you work hard, you try to give back to your community and, you know, for somebody to come on to your property and violate that, that's you know, it's it's a tough pill to swallow, you," Hayes said.
According to Hayes, the car the thieves were in was stolen from Elizabeth. So far police have not made any arrests.
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