Melbourne carjacker picks the wrong ute… and runs straight into tradie justice
An attempted carjacking turned into something that looked straight out of a movie scene, except it happened in broad daylight on a Melbourne street. An alleged carjacker picked the wrong ute and ran into a crew of tradies who did not hesitate. This was not some petty thief quietly slipping away. This was a man driving the wrong way down the road, smashing into cars and trying to steal vehicles in peak hour traffic. But in Hawthorn he did not escape. He ended up face down on the asphalt, with tradies helping pin him before police even got there.
Touch the wrong ute… and things escalate fast.
What started as an attempted theft turned into one of those clips the internet chews on for days. According to reports, several tradies physically intervened when a man allegedly tried to steal a vehicle in Melbourne, holding him on the ground until police arrived. The moment was caught on camera and within hours it was everywhere, with plenty of comments calling it instant justice.
What should have been a normal afternoon on Auburn Road in Hawthorn flipped into chaos when a shirtless man drove against traffic, hit multiple vehicles and then allegedly tried to carjack other drivers while attempting to flee. The man, reportedly in his 50s, had already tried forcing his way into several cars, allegedly assaulting drivers in the process.
The wrong street at the wrong time
The scene was raw and unfiltered. Workers still in site mode, some in tees, one still wearing his hi vis, reacted instantly when they saw what was unfolding. They were not cops. Not private security. Not some tactical response unit. Just blokes who had probably spent the day hauling gear and sweating it out on site, and in a split second decided this was not going to spiral any further. These tradies took it seriously.
The footage shows the intensity, but what really connects is the context. A ute is not just transport. It is investment, income, years of graft and, for many tradies, another tool of the trade. When someone tries to take that, the response is not going to be polite.
“Touch the wrong ute, and you might meet the wrong tradies.”
Tradie instinct and the bigger question
On site, ute and tool theft is not theory, It is a constant reality. That is why the reaction resonates. It is not just adrenaline. It is instinct: Protect your gear, protect the bloke next to you. It is the kind of solidarity that gets forged on site over years.
The suspect was taken to hospital under police guard and is expected to face charges including attempted carjacking, assault and dangerous driving. The legal process will run its course. But while that plays out, the video is already doing the rounds as a reminder that sometimes bystanders are not willing to stand by.
In Hawthorn, this time, the chaos did not end with another ute disappearing down the road. It ended with an alleged carjacker learning the hard way that not every street is an easy target.
So mate, if you are going to try your luck in peak hour, maybe make sure it is not a ute parked near a crew of tradies.
Trending News
An attempted carjacking turned into something that looked straight out of a movie scene, except it happened in broad daylight on a Melbourne street. An alleged carjacker picked the wrong ute and ran into a crew of tradies who did not hesitate. This was not some petty thief quietly slipping away. This was a man driving the wrong way down the road, smashing into cars and trying to steal vehicles in peak hour traffic. But in Hawthorn he did not escape. He ended up face down on the asphalt, with tradies helping pin him before police even got there.