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Florida woman calls for help as man hangs on her moving car

Posted at 1:12 PM, Mar 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-06 13:12:47-05

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla.--  Tracey Barnes never expected her trip to Sunday dinner to be cut short. 

She frantically called 911 and reported a man trying to get into her car as she drove down a busy highway.

"Help me, help me. Help me....," she's heard on a 911 call.

"Today I still am like cannot believe this happened to me. I'm shaking right now just remembering it," Barnes recalled.

She remembers Yosmin Amaya, the man she says stepped in front of her car, waving his hands for help.

"And I rolled my window down a little bit and that's when I realized, "oh no, I'm in trouble." He grabbed a hold of my window and reached in and touched me and said, 'I need your car, I need your car right now,' she said.

Barnes freaked out and then hit the gas.  "I said, "you are not getting my car, get off my car." I was screaming at him and there was one point in time I was having to slow down, he actually got this foot in my window."

During the chaos, she somehow manages to dial 911. 

Barnes thought she was done for, but several people stepped in to help until deputies arrived. 

"Unfortunately, do not ever open your car, open your window. Do not open it for any reason especially if you're by yourself."

According to booking information from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Amaya is facing charges of robbery/carjacking and criminal mischief.