Masked man attempted to carjack a Lehigh Acres woman

A normal day quickly turned into a nightmare for one Lehigh Acres woman.

While sitting in her car getting ready to leave for work, a masked man tries to carjack her on Laurelwood Drive.

The woman’s husband says she was sitting in the driver’s seat when the man demanded she get out of her car. She pressed on the gas and got away as quickly as she can.

“Up until this point, never gave it much thought to go out and get my car in the morning,” said neighbor Carolyn Naylor.

Now, neighbors are watching closely after such a frightening experience.

“It’s scary, it really is scary,” Naylor said.

In an incident report filed with Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the victim says she pulled out of her driveway and stopped along the road to make sure her garage door closed before leaving. That’s when the suspect approached the car from the passengers side and demanded she get out. The victim then slammed on the accelerator and got away.

Neighbors are shocked that all of this took place in broad daylight.

“Anything could have happened,” said neighbor Michael Coots. “Could have killed em. Could have kidnapped em, anything could have happened.”

Residents say this neighborhood is full of homeowners who stay protected.

“There’s a lot of weapons around here, so he’s taking life in his hands when he’s doing that,” Coots said.

But, all neighbors hope the masked man is found.

“Since he had the mask on, that kind of cuts down the chances,” Coots said. “So, hopefully somebody knows something.”

The victim’s husband says she is still shaken up about the incident.

Deputies say the man was wearing a red bandana around his face.