Ukrainian MMA Fighter Chases Down Thieves Who Stole His Car

A witness to a carjacking in Pennsylvania caught an amazing video showing the car owner running after the thieves on foot and confronting them at a red light. 

Egor Kostuychenko, a 25-year-old MMA fighter, got out of his car in Philadelphia on Tuesday to pick up a restaurant order for a client during his shift as a delivery driver for Uber Eats.

While he is away from his vehicle, double-parked at the curb, thieves jump in and begin to drive off, according to the video, obtained by local ABC affiliate WPVI-TV.

Then Kostuychenko begins running after the thieves on foot as they make their getaway. He catches up with the thieves at a red light. 

"My car stopped with traffic. I grabbed my door and said, 'Stop the car, it's my car,'" Kostyuchenko recalled in an interview with WPVI-TV.

In the video, the driver tells the MMA fighter to keep his hands off the car, threatening to kill him. 

The driver takes off, speeding down the street in an attempt to flee from Kostyuchenko. But Kostyuchenko grasps tightly onto his car window and door and holds on, lifting his feet off the ground as the car swiftly transports him down the street, video shows. 

Then one of the thieves sitting in the back of the car allegedly fired two rounds at Kostyuchenko as he clung on tightly, police said, according to WPVI-TV. The bullets did not graze or injure Kostyuchenko. 

After a few seconds of clinging to the car, Kostyuchenko lets go and the car speeds off, the thieves getting away with his wallet, paperwork, phone, and MMA training gear. 

Kostyuchenko, sparring partner to UFC star Sean Brady, was surprised to learn he might have to use his MMA training skills in Philadelphia. 

"People told me every time, 'Philadelphia, it's a different city. You need to be careful,'" he said.

A GoFundMe page started by Brady in Kostyuchenko’s honor is asking for donations to cover expenses as a police investigation remains ongoing.