Drivers have been urged to lock their doors after two women were dragged from their cars and their vehicles stolen in separate incidents in Sydney in the past week.
A 59-year-old Glebe woman was treated for shock and bruises after three men approached her car in Chippendale on Friday night. One of the men opened the driver's door and pulled the woman from the silver Mazda 3 on Grafton Street about 9.30pm, witnesses reported.
The man then got behind the wheel and drove off, while the other two men ran away. Police found the burnt-out car in Whalan Reserve, in Sydney's west, about 11pm.
A spokesman for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said the woman was in a stable condition on Saturday.
On Thursday night, a man allegedly reached inside a woman's car and pulled her from the vehicle in a Blacktown car park before driving away. The 40-year-old woman told police she was returning to her car in the Patrick Street shopping centre when she was approached about 7pm. She was not injured.
Her blue Toyota Yaris was later found in a hotel car park on the Great Western Highway.
On Saturday morning, police were still hunting the men responsible for both attacks and they said it was too early to tell if they were linked.
Redfern police duty officer Inspector Jane Hansford said such incidents were not common but she encouraged drivers to be vigilant.
''It's probably a timely reminder to keep your doors locked or your windows at least part-way up,'' she said. ''And you should make sure any valuables in the car are out of sight.''
A NSW Police Media spokeswoman said victims should not try to fight off thieves if they found themselves in a similar situation.
Police said drivers should get their keys out and hold them in their hand before they got to their parked car. They recommended using highly visible security measures, such as steering wheel locks.
Incidents of car theft in NSW have dropped 11 per cent in the past two years, figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show.
Police have released descriptions of two men they are seeking in relation to the Blacktown incident.
The first man has been described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 40 and 50 years old, and thin. He is about 183 centimetres tall, with very short grey hair and face stubble. He wore black track pants and a grey, long-sleeve jumper. The second man was described as of Caucasian appearance, 30 to 35 years old, and thin. He had short black hair and a goatee beard. He wore a striped T-shirt and track pants.
Police urge anyone with information about either incident to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit police.nsw.gov.au.
