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Jacksonville man helps save elderly woman from attempted carjacking

A Jacksonville man is being called a hero after witnesses said he jumped in to save an elderly woman from an attempted carjacking.

Moments before a crash happened, Joseph Simms said he had a man, who was trespassing on his employer’s property, pinned to the ground.

“When I wrestled him down to ground, he got up and ran up to (a) lady who was sitting in her car and tried to get her out of the car,” Simms said.

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He said the man was trying to carjack an elderly woman in the Bayard area.

“She panicked, hit the gas and took off and hit a parked car,” Simms said.

Simms said the suspect was still holding on to the woman’s car.

“He was trying to get her out of the car,” Simms said.

That’s when, he said, he grabbed the man again, while several people called police.

“I put a little chokehold on him, made him sleep a little and I just laid on top of him,” Simms said.

A nearby business owner said he heard the crash and came outside to help.

“He was still squirming, so I jumped on him too, to hold him down,” business owner Mike Butler said.

The two men said they held the suspect until police showed up.

“He was a hero in my book,” restaurant manager Pamela Earle said

Simms, however doesn’t consider himself a hero.

“I’m not one to stand by and watch someone get taken advantage of. I'd much rather try to help,” Simms said.

Simms said no one was hurt and the suspect was arrested.

Action News Jax asked the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for more information, but hasn't heard back yet.