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A Detroit mother's attempt to bravely stop a carjacker turned harrowing when she was run over by her own SUV, suffering severe injuries in the process. Mary Pridgen, a mother of five, was struck after confronting a thief who stole her vehicle—a green 2014 Ford Explorer—at a local gas station. According to WXYZ, Pridgen endured a five-hour surgery to implant pins in her leg and now faces months without work as she was advised to not put any weight on the injured leg.
The ordeal unfolded outside a gas station on East McNichols near I-75. Pridgen and her daughter had briefly left the SUV, which had been left running, to get snacks during halftime of a Lions' playoff game. Surveillance footage captured the carjacker watching the pair before seizing the opportunity to take off in Pridgen's SUV. "I probably wasn't thinking," Pridgen told FOX 2. "But it was my car, that's my only means of transportation, and I have five kids."
An outpouring of community support has followed, with a GoFundMe set up to assist Pridgen with living expenses and to secure alternate transportation. The kindness mirrors that seen in Dundee where a 12-year-old boy, fallen through ice into a pond, was saved by local heroes. A Hungry Howie's truck driver, Jonathon Garza, alerted 911, while Officer Joe Schumaker, despite falling through ice himself, and locals Paxton Barnes and Garrett Desbrough, along with Dundee firefighters, facilitated a rescue, as per AOL report.
While Pridgen grapples with her recovery, Detroit Police are working to track down the carjacker. The department has asked anyone with information to come forward, hoping the public can help to quickly identify the suspect. "This really messed me up for the next six months and definitely traumatized my daughter and my family," Pridgen expressed to WXYZ. The stark contrasts between Pridgen's tragedy and the Dundee rescue encapsulate the unpredictable fragility and solidarity within our communities.
