Carjacking

Carjacking is a robbery (i.e., a theft by force, violence, or intimidation) in which the item stolen is a motor vehicle.

Etymology

The word is a portmanteau of car and hijacking. The term was coined by EJ Mitchell, an editor with The Detroit News.The News first used the term in a 1991 report on the murder of Ruth Wahl, a 22-year-old Detroit drugstore cashier who was killed when she would not surrender her Suzuki Sidekick, and in an investigative report examining the rash of what police called at the time "robbery armed unlawful driving away an automobile" plaguing Detroit.

Prevention and response

Common carjacking ruses include: (1) bumping the victim's vehicle from behind, and taking the car when the victim gets out of the vehicle to assess damage and exchange information; (2) staging a fake car accident, sometimes with injuries, and stealing the vehicle of a good Samaritan who stops to assist; (3) flashing lights or waving to get the victim's attention, indicating that there is a problem with the victim's car, and then taking the car once the victim pulls over; and (4) following a victim home, blocking the victim's car in a driveway or in front of a gate.