Since some people have just bits and pieces of this information, I thought I would use this forum to kind of set the record straight about what went on last night. Around 11:30, I was in my car with Matt Pack, and we were carjacked. I don’t really know how best to describe it, so I’ll answer here the same questions I have answered on the phone all day.

What happened?

Matt and I were coming back fromg Zog’s– I was going to drop him off at his car, because we had ridden to Zog’s together. I pulled the Corolla up next to his car and we were chatting for about three minutes. I looked in the rear view mirror at one point and saw someone walk past, but didn’t think twice about it. About 30 seconds later, I looked out the driver side window and the carjacker was telling us to get out of the car. We both did. He made us lie down and demanded our wallets. Matt give him his cash and his phone, I gave him my wallet but not my phone. He got in my car, pulled out of the parking space, and drove off into Carrboro.

As soon as he left, Matt and I each made sure the other was OK, got in Matt’s car, and bolted in the other direction. We called 911 and went to a police substation two blocks away. We saw an officer in his car in the parking lot, and told him what happened. He talked to us for 2-3 minutes, then drove off in the direction of the car– they were chasing the carjacker already. We waited in the parking lot– Matt called his mom and I called my wife, who got out of bed to come get me.

When the officer returned, he told me that they had recovered my car but were still looking for the thief. A few minutes later, he told me that the car had rolled over during the chase and was totalled. We answered some more questions, Matt went back to his hotel in Greensboro, and Ladybug and I followed the officer out Dairyland Road, where we found the car absolutely demolished. The thief’s hat and shoe were still at the site, but he was off in the woods. They had dogs out looking for him. I got a few things from my car, and they told us to go home, promising to call if they captured the thief.

About 1 mile away from the crash site, I noticed that Ladybug’s car temperature was really high. We drove to the closest gas station, opened the hood, and there was fluid everywhere. The radiator had burst. I called Corey, then Lisa, and Lisa was still in her car. She came and got us from the gas station and took us home. Matt called on the way and had made it safely back to Greensboro.

Are you safe?

Yes, Matt and I are both completely safe. We weren’t hurt at all.

Where did it happen?

Behind the Harris Teeter in Carrboro. I don’t consider that to be a bad neighborhood by any means, and we were in a well-lit (if deserted) area. This was an opportunity crime, pure and simple– the guy walked by, saw us in a running car, saw that no one was around, and figured he could get away with it pretty easily. A million other times, nothing happens in that same situation. I’m guessing that he was drunk or high, since the cops saw him speeding in Carrboro (I think that’s what started the pursuit) and he fled and eventually rolled the car over in a one-car accident.

Are you completely freaked out?

No, not really. I’m surprisingly not angry or upset, and maybe that will hit me a little later. The financial reality of it all is starting to sink in– I’m not looking forward to car shopping right now– but this morning has been a string of calls to insurance people, people at work, concerned friends who had bits and pieces, etc. I’m home today, trying to put this mess in order, figure out how to get a new driver’s license with no credit card, etc. I was up late last night, just thinking about how very lucky I am that Matt and I are safe, that he didn’t keep one of us in the car, that we still had another car to get into and a phone to call the police. So I slept in today before starting the litany of calls to insurance and police.

I’m also going to take an opportunity to say wonderful things about Eddie Gilchrist at RTP Insurance. I called over there first thing, and he heard Lauren say my name and yelled up to her that he wanted to take the call personally. He was supremely helpful.

I am just so thankful that Matt and I were unharmed and that we were able to get up and leave when it was all over. I think Matt’s mom may have had the worst time of it, because Matt called her from the police station parking lot and talked a little bit, and then I needed the phone, and I am sure she was not done panicking when I asked for the phone back. She and I talked about 12:15 and she was very gracious about the whole thing. I am also really thankful that Matt was there; I feel awful that his cash and phone are gone, but two heads were better than one in that situation– he immediately got us into his car and away from the scene, and I immediately began calling 911. Left alone, I would have just stood in the parking lot like a dumbass, talking to the police and making them come to me, which would only have diverted resources that they used to chase the guy. Plus, it was cold, and Matt’s car had heat.

What got stolen?

My computer was in the car, but I got it back, thankfully. He made off with the wallet (and like $42 in cash), Matt’s cash, Matt’s phone, my iPod, and a portable CD player. Maybe the radar detector, I didn’t really look because I had so little time to look in the car.

What about Ladybug’s car?

Busted radiator, but they told her that she should be ready to drive it home tonight. She rode in to work with Corey Brown, who is a gentleman. So we will have a car to share, and since we work close together and Corey is also so close, I don’t forsee transportation being a major issue until I can get insurance worked out and buy a new car. My boss already called with some car suggestions through the SECU, which I definitely want to look into.

Did the police ever call and tell you that they caught the guy?

No.

What did he look like?

To be honest, I am not 100% sure. It was all so fast and confusing that I don’t think either Matt or I could pick him out of a lineup. I was supremely unhelpful when the police asked questions, for which I thoroughly apologize to the officer who was taking questions. I just really didn’t get a good look; I almost couldn’t believe what was happening.

So, that’s about it. I figure that we all have something rotten happen every so often, and this is mine… and I’m still not sure if I am more angry about the carjacking or the fact that Hardee’s screwed up my lunch order yesterday (because THAT pissed me off). I’m incredibly thankful for all of the friends and family that called or IMed this morning, and I’m sorry I kind of blew everyone off but I wanted to stay focused on working out some of the insurance details. This whole experience has been a chance to reflect on what’s really important in life, and a car just isn’t one of those things.