Last night, Samantha Petrevski and Daniel Sperandio were driving along Donnybrook Road in Donnybrook when they encountered an alarming scene. Just past 9 p.m., they noticed a vehicle that had skidded off the road, hit a barrier, and overturned.

As responsible citizens, the couple stopped to assist the driver, who was seen on CCTV footage emerging from the trunk of the overturned car. He was surrounded by several other bystanders who had also paused to offer help.

In a surprising turn of events, the driver of the crashed vehicle managed to slip away from the crowd. Seizing the opportunity, he jumped into the couple’s Holden and drove off, leaving everyone startled.

“We were focused on moving everyone away from the overturned vehicle to wait for emergency services,” Petrevski recounted. “Then suddenly, someone shouted, ‘Whose red car is that? He’s getting in it!’”

Sperandio added that they followed the trail of oil left by their car. “We saw where it was abandoned, and as soon as we arrived, he was getting out. That’s when I decided to chase after him,” he explained.

The stolen car was found abandoned a short distance later near Rocco Avenue and Hawkesbury Drive.

Police believe it was involved in another crash before it was dumped.

“It just makes me feel sick,” Petrevski said.

Police believe the Land Cruiser had been stolen from Burnside Heights, more than 40 km from where it crashed in Donnybrook, early yesterday.

The owner of the Land Cruiser told 9News the car had only been parked on the street for 17 minutes when it was taken.

The offender remains on the run, after a search by local police and the dog squad failed the locate him.

Both vehicles will be forensically analysed in the hopes officers can track down the offender.

Anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the crash is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.