Dad rescued his child when thief fled after ditching his stolen car—then a stranger ran after thief to do the unbelievable
Quick thinking is a quality that has rescued many people in challenging situations. Whether it’s stepping in to protect a stranger, rushing to aid someone in danger or simply refusing to stand by when something feels wrong, these actions remind us of the power of community and shared responsibility. When T P Brown Jr. witnessed a man crash a car into a fence and run out of it, he knew he had to act, per KCBD11. Here's the brave story of a bystander who witnessed a thief driving away in a stolen car on February 27, 2022, and decided to step up to catch him.
It was around 8 AM, in Northeast Portland, Oregon, when a suspect jumped into a woman's running car and drove off with her 3-year-old son inside. The child's father, who was present when the event took place, immediately chased the thief with his car for about a mile. However, during the chase, the event took a dramatic turn when his car collided with the stolen car near Northeast Multnomah Street, and he tried to rescue his child. A young gentleman, TP Brown Jr., who was witnessing the events unfold, remarked, "I hear a Prius screaming down the side of me. (It) had the lights flashing, honking the horn, almost as if a cop would do when he’s trying to get through an intersection. The Prius used his car in almost a pit maneuver. At that point, the gentleman dropped out of the car, jumped into the other car... and began to tussle with the driver."
However, the brave step Brown Jr. took next saved the family and helped them catch the suspect. Soon after the cars collided, Brown Jr. noticed the thief running barefoot. Realizing he needed to step in, he chased the thief in his Dodge Charger without hesitation. He saw the suspect crossing a dead-end street and knew he had to stop him. He sped his car to block the man against a fence, told him not to move, and when the suspect tried to climb away, Brown got out of his vehicle to pin him down until the cops arrived. Thankfully, a few other witnesses joined Brown to help him hold the suspect until the police arrived. The suspect, who was later identified as 40-year-old Justin E. Hill, was booked on several charges, including second-degree kidnapping. Fortunately, the child inside the car was safe and unharmed. While the situation caused the parents to panic, Brown’s quick thinking helped the police arrest the suspect.
A study, authored by J.J.M. Van Dijk, A. Roell and C.H.D. Steinmetz in 1983, explored how bystanders respond to theft situations and the factors that influence their willingness to intervene. According to the study, during 100 staged bicycle thefts in and around The Hague in the Netherlands, only 5% of bystanders called the police and 2% confronted the thief, despite most of the 729 Amsterdam residents claiming they would intervene. The study suggested that perceived responsibility, social context, and proximity to law enforcement significantly influence bystander action, and offered insights for strategies to encourage public involvement in preventing and responding to crime.
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