‘He was trapped like a rat’: Melbourne motorist locks alleged car thief in Jeep during broad daylight attempted theft

A Melbourne motorist has turned the tables on an alleged car thief – locking him inside the vehicle after catching the would-be robber in the act.

Domenic Gentile, arrived home from holidays and found his own car had been stolen.

He then borrowed a friend’s Jeep, only to return from the shops to find a man inside trying to steal it on Chapel Street.  

“There was a guy sitting in the driver’s seat and I was a bit thrown back by that and knocked on the window and said ‘Mate, what are you doing?’,” Mr Gentile told 3AW.

Mr Gentile then decided to take matters into his own hands, locking the offender in the car and calling police.

“He was trapped like a rat couldn’t get out of the car… saying ‘don’t call the police I haven’t stolen anything’.”

Eventually the alleged offender cut his way through the soft-top convertible.

Mr Gentile decided to stand back when he realised the size of the offender- only able to take photos- as the alleged would-be thief ran away and boarded a tram.