Cops: Woman finds man hiding in car near Mall of Georgia

Channel 2's Tony Thomas reports the woman's car was parked near the Mall of Georgia.

Police are looking for a man accused of hiding in the back of a woman’s car as she shopped at T.J. Maxx near Mall of Georgia Tuesday.

The woman told police she loaded her shopping bags in the cargo area of her SUV at the store in the 3000 block of Woodward Crossing Boulevard around 6 p.m., sat in the driver seat and checked the rearview mirror to find a man crouched behind her seat looking at her, Gwinnett County Police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said in a news release.

The woman screamed for help and a witness called police. Soon after, the man left the car and drove off in his vehicle.

According to police, the victim locked her doors but left her sunroof open, which is where the suspect likely entered her vehicle.

Witness Holly Mulcay told Channel 2 Action News that once the suspect ran off, the victim left her SUV and attempted to stop him before he drove off in his grey Ford passenger car.

Mulcay said the man just stared at the victim but never said a word to her.
 
"He didn't steal anything. He could have. She had stuff all in her car. My thoughts are he was after her," Mulcay told  Channel 2. "Why would he be hiding down crouched in the back?"

The victim and witnesses were able to obtain a tag number of the suspect’s vehicle. Police have not determined what motivated the suspect to enter the car.

Mulcay shared a brief summary of the incident in a Facebook post, which has been shared more than 10,000 times, Pihera said.

Anyone with information to share in this case, can contact police at (770) 513-5300.