Naked man runs out to stop would-be thief from stealing car | video

The young couple were sleeping in their Buninyong home when they were awoken by the sound of somebody in their garage about 4.30am.

Hearing the sound of her car being backed out, with a rush of adrenaline Samantha (not her real name) ran out the front door and confronted the offender, telling him to get out of her car.

Her partner, Nick, (also not his real name*) then followed - completely in the nude.

The couple were tailed by their two dogs, while their two small children continued sleeping inside.

The whole incident was captured on the CCTV camera installed at the front of their house.

In this footage, the couple is seen trying to pull the offender from their vehicle but he continues to try to get away in the car.

"I was wrestling with him and he put the car into reverse and moved backwards," Nick told The Courier.

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Screaming follows as Samantha, who had walked around to the driver's side door, is caught between the moving car and another parked in their driveway.

Nick continues to try to pull the offender from the car but told The Courier that partway through the scuffle, which only lasted a few minutes, it dawned on him that he was in a potentially dangerous situation and that the offender could be armed and could overpower him.

Realising Samantha had been hurt, he then "half-heartedly" let the offender go- who then proceeded to jump through the passenger side door and flee on foot.

Finding Samantha "pretty banged up", he called 000.

Samantha's injuries were tended to during a trip to the hospital. Her leg was crushed and while she sustained cuts abrasions and is bruised and sore, luckily none of her bones were broken. She is, however, unable to walk properly.

"She's going to be okay, that's the main thing," Nick said.

While they prevented the car from being stolen, Nick and Samantha are continuing to play the incident over in their minds and how badly one of them could have been injured.

"In hindsight, it's all a bit silly and we probably should have just let the guy go in the car, but when you see someone trying to take something you've worked really hard for straight out of your garage the first thing you try to do is prevent that from happening.

"You don't think about the fact that it's insured and you should let it roll out the driveway."

Acknowledging that there wasn't much time to think and that they were still mostly asleep, he said they would "probably do things differently" if it were to happen again.

The couple moved out to Buninyong because it is a nice family-friendly community. While it is frightening that someone went to such lengths to take their car from a locked garage and a house with a security camera, Nick said it wouldn't scare them away.

"It's a nice place, a lovely little town, and you wouldn't think this would happen here. But unfortunately, it happens everywhere."

Nick hopes the police will be able to gather enough evidence to catch the offender, who he said did seem quite "young and scared".

"I don't want to see a young guy's life ruined-it's quite the opposite. I want to see him pulled up and put back on the right track because obviously he's not on the right one," he said.

Ballarat Inspector Bob Heaney said police were investigating a number of burglaries where cars were targeted at the weekend.

These include at Buninyong, Mount Helen, Bonshaw and Redan.

Police will be canvassing the areas but ask that if anyone has CCTV footage or any further information to contact them.

Anyone with footage or other information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

*The couple's names were withheld at their request

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