Maryland Grandmother of Eight Fatally Run Over by Her Own Vehicle While Trying to Thwart Carjacker in Virginia

A woman in Maryland was killed after she reportedly tried to stop a man from stealing her vehicle at a convenience store in Virginia, according to authorities.

Around 11:30 a.m. on July 28, Melody Waldecker, 54, left her car running when she stopped at a 7-Eleven in Sterling, Virginia, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Loudoun Times-Mirror.

When Waldecker spotted a man get into her vehicle, she ran out and tried to open the driver’s side door, officials said.

The thief then slammed the door shut and backed up.

Melody hung onto the vehicle, but she fell to the ground and the vehicle ran her over, according to the complaint.

Police said the incident was captured on the store’s surveillance video.

The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Jose Aguilar-Martinez, proceeded to hit two other vehicles while fleeing the store. He was later found still inside the vehicle, parked in a nearby neighborhood, officials said.

According to the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, Waldecker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Aguilar-Martinez was arrested and charged with carjacking, but police noted additional charges are likely.

He was booked into the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center and was being held without bond.

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Waldecker worked at a nursing home and had been visiting her mother prior to the carjacking, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reported. She was a mother of four and grandmother of eight.

In a Facebook post, her daughter, Becky Nathanson, wrote: “We are in complete shock and ask that you please keep our family in your prayers. We may bicker and fuss but we sure know how to come together when it’s needed. Our hearts are broken and we will never be the same.”