INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman says she's thankful to be alive after a man randomly got into her car, held her at knifepoint and robbed her recently.
Jessica said she was sitting in her car in a parking lot between McDonald's and Pizza Hut on Michigan Road at 86th Street when a strange man opened her door and got in.
Jessica asked us not to use her last name or show her face, out of fear for her safety.
"The car was running, and the man got in my car and told me he wanted me to give him $1,000 and take him somewhere," Jessica recounted. "I immediately turned off my car and told him no."
She said that's when he pulled a box knife and threatened her.
"He just kept saying, 'I'm not going to get out the car, I'm going to cut you, I'm not leaving, I need $1,000,'" Jessica said.
That's when a struggle started, according to Jessica.
"I jumped out of the car, and I realized my keys were in it. I was in the middle of dialing 911. When I got back in the car, he grabbed my phone," Jessica said.
Jessica said he took off – with her phone – after that. She said the encounter lasted five minutes. However, the fallout has lasted a lot longer. Her phone was open and when he took it, he had access to most of her accounts. Within three hours, he had stolen $3,000 from her, Jessica said.
"It has been a nightmare because besides him taking all my savings and stealing my money, he contacted my children and grandchildren. I'm worried about our safety," Jessica said.
She's concerned that these crimes happen more than people think. IMPD Officer Drew Brown told 13News that robberies are down from this time last year, but stories like this are still hard to hear.
"Your life matters. Your neighbor's life matters," Brown said. "No life is worth being harmed or lost over property. Robbery is a crime of violence. Our detectives are going to be hard at work to try to bring to justice to the small amount of people that are perpetrating these terrible acts."
The incident has left Jessica shaken, but she said she has much to be grateful for.
"I feel very lucky he didn't kill me or take me and rape me or do something harmful to me," Jessica said.
She's experiencing a lot of anxiety from that incident and plans to go to counseling. She's also working with her bank in hopes of getting as much of her money back as she can — and hoping an arrest will be made soon.