Woman leaps on purse-snatcher's car during robbery

DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA — A Florida woman is speaking out about a dangerous encounter she had with a purse snatcher at a gas station.

Determined to get her purse back, she leapt onto the roof of the thief's car to get him to stop.

The surveillance video shows the man stealing her purse from inside her car.  "It was in the blink of an eye. What is this guy doing in my car? What is he doing?" says Janelle Della-Libera.

Once she realized she was being ripped off in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon while pumping gas, she says her instincts took over:  "I ran around to his side of the car and got on the car in the attempt hoping that he wouldn't drive off. I reached into the driver side. I had my hand on my hand bag and at that point he drove off. So I fell off of the vehicle. When I fell on the floor my legs were out and his driver side tire drove over my foot."

Janelle was left lying on the ground injured but alert.

The dangerous ordeal left her with a severely sprained ankle and lots of cuts and bruises.

Doctors were amazed her leg wasn't shattered. On crutches, she will be out of work for a few weeks but she will heal.  Meanwhile, that up-close encounter with the lead-footed thief in a silver Cadillac is something she will never forget.

"He just kept cursing and calling me names in an attempt to scare me and get me off but I think I literally scared him to death which is what caused him to drive off," says Janelle.

Afterwards, Janelle realized she should not have fought back. That it really wasn't worth it.

"He could have killed me. What if he had a gun? What if he would have been more vicious? What if my daughter was in the car? I mean the scenario could have played out so much worse."

Cox Media Group