NEW ORLEANS — A woman was kidnapped, robbed and carjacked early Wednesday morning by a man who jumped into her car as she was coming home from work, according to a report filed with the New Orleans Police Department.
The woman told officers she was arriving home from work, in the 1800 block of Marigny Street in the St. Roch neighborhood, when she was struck by a man who forced her back into her vehicle.
The man drove her to an ATM and forced her to withdraw money from her bank account, according to the brief on the case released by the NOPD. He then drove her to another location, kicked her out of the car and drove off.
NOPD investigators filed the incident as an aggravated kidnapping, according to the agency's major offense log.
Officers have not named a suspect in the case, but neighbors believe it may be related to a recent rise in crime.
Sharon Collitt lives around the corner from the scene of the abduction, on North Roman Street. She said the man who kidnapped her neighbor may be with the same group of young people who burglarized her car and four others last Monday.
"They took everything, ransacked through my car, took all my belongings in the console, same thing with the gentleman down there," Collitt said. "They broke his window and took everything."
She and several other neighbors said they are taking extra precautions because of the thefts and the more recent kidnapping.
"My whole backyard now has lights," Collitt said. "I have a sensor light on the front and I'm going to get another sensor light for my driveway."
Anybody with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the NOPD or call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.