Driver gives hitchhikers a lift, then they try to rob car

Members of the public helped a motorist during an attempted hijacking in Co Down overnight.

The man was flagged down by two men in Banbridge at about midnight who asked for a lift into the town centre.

The driver agreed but when the men got into his vehicle they threatened him and demanded he take them to Hilltown.

When the car reached Rathfriland Road, Hilltown the passengers tried to steal the car before fleeing when passersby came to the driver’s aid.

The pair then tried to steal the car in Rathfriland Road, Hilltown, but both fled when passers-by intervened.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said the driver was not physically injured but was "badly shaken".

Agencies