[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uncle Dave:
[B]For those of you that HAVEN'T heard - brace yourselves .....
for the rest of you that know - here's a recap of the events.

First of all - I'm fine, BUT ( there's always a but, huh?) I was car jacked tonight at gunpoint, and the jacker even fired a shot at me to get me to exit my car. Pretty scary stuff. I was on the phone with Chris (my son) when it happened, and I hung up rather abruptly. Thankfully, he had the good sense to call 911 for me, as the theif took my car AND my phone. ( stinker ... he now has my KEYS too.

The reader's digest version is this:
About 4PM, in North Philly, this 20yr old kid shoots a guy(who later died), steals this little silver Chevy and then fled north on 95 where the Chevy ran out of gas. This is where I came in ......
He was waving his arm at motorists to get new wheels, and after a few swerved around him ... I was face to face at close range, stuck behind his stalled vehicle with a gun pointed at my face. Yikes.

He shouted at me to get out of the car, and I didn't respond quick enough for him. I kept the window down for a bit, then I lowered it and asked him what he wanted ..... he fired a shot passed my left ear and shouted again .... this is when I gave up the car. I tried to grab my phone again, but he told me to leave it. He looked more scared than I was, but I didn't take any chances .... I just let him take the car, and he sped off.

I called out to a guy in a convertible, and he called 911 as well ... and soon, the place was crawling with State Troopers. As the traffic got worse and the day got darker - it got even MORE bizzare: A drunk driver SLAMS into the back of a brand new trooper's car. they tried to get him into an ambulance, and he was wrestling with the trooper! What an idiot !
(you all know my tolerance for out of control drunks .......)

so, all in all - it took 3 hours, 7 cop cars, 2 CSI teams, 3 wreckers, 2 ambulances and about 2000 drivers all backed up on 95 before I got home tonight....and I lost the night's work as well. Sheeesh.

There IS good news though:
They found my car at 10 pm in Philly, and they will call in the morning for me to come and assess the situation. They couldn't tell me anything about condition or contents tonight. ( fingers crossed ).
My cell phone aided the recovery - they traced the car as far as Mt Laurel at about 9pm, but this bozo ditched it and stole ANOTHER car before mine was recovered .. so I have no idea if mine was stripped or what. More info in the morning.

So - not to worry .... I'm fine, and all I lost so far was a nights pay.

DAVE Thank God you're safe and alright. Remember, the material thinsg can be replaced but Uncle Dave cannot be replaced. Good to hear your safe and sound.

Larry P from New York