Carjacker Suspect Accidentally Takes Selfie Before Throwing Out Victim's Phone

An alleged carjacker accidentally snapped a selfie after he took off in a vehicle in Indianapolis, according to police.

Megan Whisler had been sitting in her 2005 Ford 500 in the parking lot of an assisted living center at around 10 a.m. on Monday, while her mother was inside visiting a relative when the carjacking happened.

As Whisler waited, a man armed with a gun walked up to the driver's side window, according to Fox-affiliated local network WXIN.

She told the network: "I couldn't even form a thought. So, I turned off my car and he said, 'scoot over.' I think he wanted me to get in the passenger's seat.

"I don't know if he was up to something more sinister or if he wanted me to not make a scene and not scream, but I didn't want to go anywhere with him."

Not wanting to comply with the armed man, Whisler got out of the car and gave him the keys to the vehicle.

She continued to tell the network: "And he just snatched my phone out of my hand, and he got in my car. And I literally just watched him."

But, as he drove away, the alleged carjacker left a clue behind—a selfie of himself on Whisler's phone.

Indianapolis police tracked Whisler's phone about 15 minutes away from where the carjacking happened, and believed the suspect had thrown it out of the window.

Whisler told WXIN: "I looked and was like, 'oh my God.' That's the person."

She later added: "I consider myself very lucky that I made it away with my life, and everything that he took was replaceable. Who's to say the next time he does this it's not the same outcome?"

Daniel Rosenberg, who investigates carjacking cases with Crime Stoppers, told the network cases of the crime have risen in Indianapolis.

He added: "We need to make sure somebody like this isn't wandering around on our streets."

If you have any information about the suspect, or incident call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).

Newsweek has contacted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) for comment.

Earlier this year, IMPD robbery detectives joined FBI officers and special agents to form a new carjacking task force in order to curb the rise in cases.

An IMPD spokesman said in a Facebook post shared in the summer: "The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) recognizes this surge of armed carjackings and is working diligently to identify, locate, arrest and deter those involved in these violent acts."