THIS is the horrifying moment a thug snatches a screaming woman and tries to drag her into his car.

The chilling encounter was caught on CCTV outside a retail store in St Augustine, Florida, and released by the St John’s County Sheriff’s Office.

Dramatic footage shows Theodore Michael Tundidor, 31, choking the terrified woman from behind and dragging her towards his Toyota truck.

He unlocks the car whilst still grasping her and wrestles with the door.

The unidentified victim’s screams intensify to petrified shriek as Tundidor tries to bundle her onto the seat.

Through the screams, she cries: “Help, help!” and “Get off!”

She can be seen through the window writhing around in panic, trying to break free.

Eventually, she escape his clutches and scrambles off onto the pavement, still shouting for help and with the attacker giving chase.

Cops said that a bystander saw the attempted abduction and came to the woman’s aid before calling 911.

The brute was forced to jump into his truck and take off.

Crews arrived at the scene in St Augustine, but the truck was gone.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officers later spotted the pickup truck barrelling “recklessly” down Route A1A, sparking a high-speed chase before he was eventually caught.

Tundidor had allegedly stolen the pickup truck and driven it around on a crime spree.

He is accused of stealing hundreds of dollars worth of cigarettes and vapes from various businesses.

The kidnap attempt victim was the clerk at one of the stores he allegedly robbed, the authorities said.

He was charged with kidnapping, robbery and grand theft auto for the spree on June 29, as well as driving under the influence and fleeing and eluding the law.

Police praised the woman’s behaviour, saying: “The victim did everything right – scream/yell, fight, attract attention.”