Temple student carjacked at gunpoint while parking boyfriend's car: 'I started screaming'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two Temple University students spoke to Action News about their frightening confrontation with an armed carjacker on Wednesday night.

It happened around 9:30 p.m. on the 1700 block of Edgley Street in North Philadelphia.

Cleo Cohen says she had borrowed her boyfriend's Pontiac Vibe and was trying to park it outside of his home.

"I was having an annoying time parallel parking so I called him," said Cohen.

Then she got a knock on the window. It was a man with a gun.

SEE ALSO: Philadelphia seeing big spike in number of carjackings

"He told me to get out and showed me that he had a gun. I started screaming," recalled Cohen.

The Temple student got out and gave the suspect the keys, but not before he pointed the gun right at her.

"I was standing outside a few feet away from it and screaming for help," said Cohen.

Her boyfriend, fellow Temple student Seth Dubrosky, was still on the phone and heard her scream; he went running to help. When he reached his girlfriend, he decided to get them both to safety.

"I saw someone in (the car) and thought, 'what's the best thing to do? Just get out of this situation.' So I took her and went around the corner," recalled Dubrosky.

SEE ALSO: Concerned parents call for increased safety measures on Temple University campus

The brazen theft comes just a week after Temple student Samuel Collington was killed during a botched carjacking in broad daylight near the North Philadelphia campus. Police have since arrested a person in the case.

And these incidents are just some of the many under investigation by Philadelphia police. There's been a surge in carjackings this year.

As of December 2, 2021, there have been 685 carjackings in the city. That's compared to 410 in 2020 and 225 in 2019.

As for Cohen and Dubrosky, they were not injured. Police are still searching for their car.

Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia police.