Long Island, N.Y., man Steve Mauro jumped into action last week when a buyer he found on Facebook Marketplace tried to make off with his expensive watch without paying.
Mauro told News 12 Long Island that he had listed his Rolex watch for US$8,000 on Facebook Marketplace and found a customer willing to pay just over $7,000. Upon meeting the buyer, he said, everything seemed fine until he detected a major "red flag" when he was asked to get into the passenger seat.
Mauro said upon finding the passenger door locked, the alleged thief had a "leg up on me" with the engine still running.
The 43-year-old sprang into action and in security camera video can be seen hoisting himself up onto the hood of an SUV as the watch thief accelerates forward.
"I never thought in a million years that this would happen," Mauro told local N.Y. media.
In a twist, a patrolling police car was coming down the road at the exact same time, which Mauro said "probably saved my life" as the thief veered off onto the lawn instead of speeding off down the road.
Nassau County police warned this type of scam is not uncommon in the area and say it’s believed to be connected to another scam in New York City. While the thief did make off with the expensive watch, Mauro said he would chalk the incident up to being an "expensive lesson."
Watch the moment Mauro leaps onto the hood of the fleeing SUV in the player at the top of this article.
