In just three days, Alicia Barker's life has dramatically changed.
The 20-year-old now locks her doors every time she gets in her car and always carries Mace.
"When I see people walking up next to my car now, I kind of, like, tense up a little bit," she said. "It's definitely changed me."
The incident
Barker told 41 Action News she was shopping at the Independence Center Monday afternoon.
She left the mall, got into her car and checked her phone.
"I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye. I just thought he was getting into the car next to me and all of the sudden my door opens I look over and he gets in and sits down in my car," she said.
The stranger locked Barker's passenger door.
"He didn't look at me the whole time he," she said. "He just looked right at my dashboard and told me he has something he has to tell me, it's really important. When I ask him to get out he says no I can't, I can't do that."
Scary thing happened to me today. At the independence center in broad daylight, in a crowded place, a man opened my jeep...
Posted by Alicia Marie Barker on Monday, March 28, 2016
Unexpected help
At the same time the stranger jumped into her car, Barker said a couple parked right next to her.
"Thankfully my windows were cracked," she said.
Barker said the man asked if she was okay and helped pull the stranger out of her car.
Now, she would like to thank him and his wife.
"I would love to thank them again. Unfortunately I didn't get their names but I want to say thank you very much because if they weren't there, who knows what could have happened," she said.
TIPS TO KEEP YOU SAFE WHILE SHOPPING:
- If you feel uncomfortable, ask security to escort you to your car
- Walk with your keys in your hands, lock the doors immediately when you get in your car
- Stay off your phone to avoid being distracted
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