A Queensland tradie saved a little girl after an alleged carjacker attempted to steal the vehicle she was sitting in, forcing a primary school to lock down.
Police rushed to Antill Street in Brisbane's inner northern suburb of Wilston around 3.30pm on Thursday after receiving reports of an attempted car theft.
It is understood a man in a black hoodie jumped into the car, which the eight-year-old's father had left running while he dropped something inside his home.
When officers reached the scene, the alleged carjacker had been chased away by the father and a local tradesman, Wayne Mepham, who heard the child's cries.
'I heard a young girl calling out: "I'm in danger! I'm in danger!"' Mr Mepham told 7News' Sunrise on Friday.
'So I just dropped everything and ran after them... It was quite traumatic.
'They were pretty shaken up. The young girl was pretty frightened. I just wanted to make sure that they were ok.'
Mr Mepham said he and the father chased the alleged carjacker into a nearby convenience store, but lost sight of him.
Brisbane tradie Wayne Mepham ran to help a girl who was in the back of a car during an alleged attempted carjacking on Thursday afternoon
He said she was very brave and did the right thing by calling out for help while the incident unfolded on Antill Street in Brisbane's inner northern suburb of Wilston
Mr Mepham expressed his admiration for the young girl.
'She was very brave and said the right things at the right time to try and raise the alarm,' he said.
'Hats off to the people who have taught that young lady to raise that alarm when she felt like she was in trouble. It allowed us to act relatively quickly to at least scare him off.'
Police said officers conducted patrols but were unable to locate the man. No injuries were reported, and investigations are ongoing.
A school nearby, St Columba's Primary School, went into lockdown after the incident, 7News reported.
A letter was sent to parents by the principal shortly after, explaining what had happened and issuing a broad safety warning.
'The child did not go to St Columba’s. A couple of fathers chased the perpetrator through the 7/11 car park and down Days Road,' they wrote.
'Once we were made aware of the situation, I put the school into lockdown, called the police, and called Wilston State School.
'This is a good reminder not to leave children in your car with the engine running when popping into the front office to drop something off or pick something up.
'Things can happen very quickly, and as a school, we are a little vulnerable given our location on a busy road.'
Anyone with information about the man's whereabouts has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
