'I just fought': Woman escapes carjacking thanks to good Samaritans in South Jersey

WATERFORD TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Mary Beth Ciarlante said she was driving along Jackson Road in Waterford Township Thursday morning when car debris and a woman running out from the woods made her stop.

"Next thing you know, my door was being flung open and he jumped in the car, demanded me to take him," explained Ciarlante.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said the incident began with a car crash on Jackson Road, near the intersection of Waverly Avenue, around 8:37 a.m. Thursday.

The driver of the car, identified by authorities as 45-year-old Rondean McDonald of Mays Landing, had gone off the roadway and crashed into a wooded area.

Waterford Township police were initially called to the scene that morning for a multi-vehicle accident. It was upgraded to a carjacking after they heard screaming from the 911 call.

"When he hit the tree and telephone pole, the vehicle became disabled. He panicked at that point, I believe, and wanted her to drive him out of there so he wouldn't be caught by law enforcement," explained Waterford Township Police Chief Daniel Cormaney.

Witnesses and one of those good Samaritans tell Action News it took five men, including two members of the Army reserves, one being a Philadelphia police officer, to get her to safety.

"There was also a third man involved who had a fire extinguisher. He broke the window for the military men to get in and get the woman out," said one witness.

Another witness and good Samaritan was one of the first to pull over and help.

"I walked to the driver's side. She had her door open, he's strangling her, wrestling with her, scraping up her arms. They were pretty bloody," said Joseph Knazek.

Mary Beth said she put up a fight, that she wasn't going to let him take her or her car.

"I just kept elbowing him, yelling at him, 'Get out.' He got mad, punched the windshield, then he started strangling me. At that point, I laid on the horn started screaming for help when he'd let go," Ciarlante said.

Authorities said McDonald was restrained by the good Samaritans and then taken into custody.

Ciarlante said what kept her going was her kids.

"I thought of my kids, I'm only 59, it's too soon for me. I'm not taking him anywhere, and I'm not going anywhere. I just fought," she recalled.

She has a message to all the good Samaritans who helped her: "Thank you for being my guardian angels. If it wasn't for you, I would not be here," she noted.

Mary Beth is in good spirits. She said she's sore and pretty banged up, but she'll be fine.

McDonald is facing several charges, including first-degree kidnapping and carjacking.