A couple is issuing a warning to others after they were carjacked over the weekend in D.C. by masked men who tricked them into getting out of their vehicle.
It happened on Saturday on Foxhall Road near Whitehaven Parkway NW.
Elise Sidamon-Eristoff said she and her partner Harry Andreades, along with her sister, were heading home from her parents’ house when a gray Lexus SUV tapped the back of their BMW.
Sidamon-Eristoff pulled over, and Andreades got out to check the damage. That’s when things took a dangerous turn.
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“I looked up, saw a pistol pointed at my head, and at that point I dropped everything,” Sidamon-Eristoff said.
“By the time I turned around to be like, ‘There’s no damage guys, you’re good. You can go. No need for a report,’ I had a gun to my chest, one to my face and I just put my hands up,” Andreades said.
Seconds after the presumed intentional fender-bender, the other gunmen were inside the SUV demanding the victims’ stuff.
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“I was just confused at first, and I reached for my purse,” Sidamon-Eristoff said. “It happened so quickly, I think it didn’t click until they were driving away with our belongings.”
The crime was fast and is, unfortunately, not uncommon, according to authorities. There have been hundreds of carjackings in the District this year.
These victims warn others: If you’re in a fender-bender and no one‘s around, keep driving to a safe location and call 911 on the way.
“[I feel] anger. I am frustrated that I didn’t know that this was a big threat in that area. I didn’t know not to pull over or what to do,” Sidamon-Eristoff said. “Hopefully it wouldn’t happen to someone else.”
While the search for the carjackers continues, this week the victims are giving thanks that the situation wasn’t worse.
“You also realize how much you love people,” Andreades said. “Seeing someone point a gun to a loved one, and potentially not seeing them again, just really sinks in.”
Not long after the carjacking, police were able to recover the victims’ stolen cell phones down the street on Whitehaven Parkway. Thanks to an Airtag in the car, detectives also tracked their SUV to Southern Avenue near Gray Street SE.
Still, the shock lingers.
“[I’m] frightened to drive, frightened to walk the dog at night. I just–I’m shaken up,” Sidamon-Eristoff said.
