Raccoon Carjacks Woman; Escapes Police

Posted: 10:50 a.m. EDT May 28, 2003

Updated: 11:34 a.m. EDT May 28, 2003

It may be the first-ever reported carjacking by a raccoon, according to a Local 6 News report.

Christine Leonard of Barrington, R.I. said that when she was getting into her car to go to the grocery store over the weekend a raccoon dove into the vehicle and forced her from the car.

Leonard said that she had the car in reverse before she got out.

With the door closed and locked, the car with the raccoon inside backed out of the driveway, striking a neighbor's fence. The car then suddenly lurched forward, heading back up the driveway striking several trees before the ride ended.

When police arrived on scene, they found the raccoon locked in the car with no way out.

"These animals are so intelligent and they've got so much chutzpah about them to just do what they do," Leonard said.

After several attempts to try and open the power locks with the keys still inside, the raccoon found the power switch to open the window and managed to escape up the nearest tree, according to the report.

Leonard's new car suffered significant damage, especially to the interior.

She said she had a tough time explaining the damage to her insurance company.

Copyright 2003 by Local6.com. All rights reserved.

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