Attempted Car Jacking exiting Puerto Plata Airport

[Adrian Bye]

No offense Adrian, but nobody would try to block a vehicle with a motorcycle here and then have someone else start beating on the window and yelling if they weren't up to something malicious.

If he hit and killed someone a block back, they sure would.

That didn't happen here, clearly. But its one example which proves my point. There likely is another reason.

Sorry, but I don't believe 14 dominicans would conduct a car jacking in broad daylight on the way to the airport with 4 passengers (including at least one male) in the car.

 

[Chip]

If he hit and killed someone a block back, they sure would.

No doubt, but I'm assuming that windeguy is posting all pertinent info. Why should I think otherwise?

 

[zoomzx11]

Congratulations

Reads to me like Windeguy, who went through this, is best positioned to make the assessment of the situation. Lesson for me here is keep my "little friend" very very close at hand. I like the move pretending to roll down the window to gain a second or two. Going to remember that one for the future. Like Windeguy my windows are tinted very very dark. Makes it hard to see me and I see them just fine. Good to have a plan of sorts for emergencies like this. Sounds to me like Windeguy is the hero here. Hope his friends appreciated his quick thinking that may have saved them all from an ugly situation. Windeguy can drive for me anytime.

 

[windeguy]

Pig, there were probably enough people that appeared rapidly around our car that that they could have dealt with all the motos, passolas and my car if they went ahead. The only mystery to us is as to why the moto blocking me moved away.

By the way, two of the people in my car were Dominican natives who were quiet clear in recognizing the motives of these people surrounding the car. We were quite certain this was no issue of beeping the horn at someone and simple aggravation. As Catcher pointed out, they were certainly up to no good.

Adrian. I assure you nobody was hit by me and I was not switched on. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am simple stating what actually happened without any exaggeration. (There appeared to be 7 people, not 14. In my original post I understand how you could have taken it to be 14 people. The way I phrased that was not clear. )

 

[Adrian Bye]

windeguy: by "switched on", i mean you come across as intelligent and know what you are talking about.

i hope you guys let the police know and get them patrolling that area more frequently.

 

[Tamborista]

Within a few seconds there were about 7 people on each side of the car on various scooters/passolas and motos.

The way I phrased that was not clear.

It did read like 14 people, glad you made it out alive.

 

[jrhartley]

there seem to be a few problems with people picking up their own guests these days - perhaps someone is using scare tactics, I beleive the taxi drivers feel that they should be used,rather than us picking up our own friends etc

Maybe another thought

 

[Lambada]

The only mystery to us is as to why the moto blocking me moved away.

Maybe because you didn't fit the bill? He was probably expecting a car full of new tourist gringos with goodies in cases and money in purses. Instead of which he got 4 residents 2 of which were Dominican. Too much hassle, give up & try someone else. Btw this has been done to new arrivals at SD airport although outside airport on main road, both Dominican & foreign arrivals - several reports in papers a while back. It's not the cars they are after, it's any valuable contents.

Now whether the car which drove off was also part of it (he did his job, got you to stop) I wouldn't like to say.

Or as jr says, its the revenge of the taxi drivers :cheeky: hadn't heard of them doing this at PP airport but there's always a first time.

 

[catcherintherye]

"there seem to be a few problems with people picking up their own guests these days - perhaps someone is using scare tactics, I beleive the taxi drivers feel that they should be used,rather than us picking up our own friends etc

Maybe another thought"
jr hartley

Yet another reason to buy jr a beer. It is a thought worth considering.

I have felt some annoyance from porters and others when I have been picked up, or was picking up someone. It might well have evolved into another stage of protest.

Not saying it's right, just that it's worthy of consideration.

"Let a thousand schools of thought compete."

 

[AlterEgo]

SDQ too...

Glad you're OK

Whenever we fly into SDQ two of my husband's brothers come to pick us up - in separate vehicles. One has a 4x4 extended cab pickup, the other a Toyota Camry. I ride in the Camry, and my husband rides with the other brother in the truck and they drive close to one another. When we have a lot of luggage, a 3rd brother comes too, and he rides in the bed of the truck. Why? Because they say there are tigures who are just waiting for the NY flights and try to rob them. They've been doing this for years. Sounds like it's spreading to other airports.

 

[windeguy]

I have lived her long enought to know that going to the police is useless

Windeguy

if you are sure that something was goinf to happen if they hadn't have been spooked by whatever it was (do they have cameras at the airport that may have turned to them as a reason to back out), then I hope you do report it to the police. I would hate to read next week that someone had been killed or hijacked by these same men. For me it is a responsible thing to do, it might be someones wife of kids next time, not a car full of men.

Glad its all good and no one is harmed!

Thanks for that.

I don't think there are any cameras at the airport exit. Certainly nothing I ever noticed.

Being one third of a family that is 2/3rds Dominican and the fact that I have lived here long enough to know ( 7 years) that going to the police is a waste of time. I will instead contact airport management and have them deal with the police, for what that will be worth.

The speculation on upset taxi drivers reacting to me picking up a neighbor is interesting, but then I would have expected Taxi drivers and not a rag tag bunch on various types of motos and passolas. I think I can rule out the possibility of upset taxi men.

The thought that I in some way offended the fellow on the moto speaking to the car in front of me doesn't make much sense either for the reasons that Chip pointed out and because the fellow on that moto never said one word. It was an older fellow who showed up from nowhere that was yelling and beating on my door.

 

[ExtremeR]

Windeguy, when you went away from the guys in your car, did you look in your side or main mirrors??? which were their reaction??

I believe if they wanted to hijack your car, you would be complaining about your stolen car in this thread instead of a attempted hijack one, but that's not to say that those guys were to no good, maybe they wanted to fight you or something. Did you yell at them, or honked without stopping?? like a long beep?? That triggers a lot of fights in the DR, that's why I am very cautious as how I honk.

 

[ExtremeR]

Thanks for that.
Being one third of a family that is 2/3rds Dominican and the fact that I have lived here long enough to know ( 7 years) that going to the police is a waste of time. I will instead contact airport management and have them deal with the police, for what that will be worth.

You really should go to the police even if it is a waste of time, for all the faults the police have is your responsability to go there, put a querella and keep it for yourself, 2 wrongs doesn't make a right. Because the police has a fame of being lazy and thiefs themselves doesn't give you the right to be irresponsible about the situation and not denouncing it. You really should go.

 

[ElvisNYC]

Did you yell at them, or honked without stopping?? like a long beep?? That triggers a lot of fights in the DR, that's why I am very cautious as how I honk.

I actually said the same thing.... but

Someone (or several people) mentioned in this thread that notion is a myth !

 

[ExtremeR]

As a Dominican living almost his entire life in Santo Domingo and travelling back and fort to Vegas, I notice that here in the USA sometimes people act with an attitude that won't fly in the DR, I sometimes say to myself "Ay mi madre cuantos golpes le dieran en Santo Domingo si hicieran eso alla".

In the USA people get away by yelling at each other and or honking their beeps like if there's no tomorrow, going to offices with attitude for no real reason and then when they do the same in the DR they start complaining why they got in trouble , or why the police won't listen to them. Juanita's thread in the stickies in Living explain this phenomenon very well.

That's not to say that I believe windeguy acted that way, or doesn't know that, after all he has 7 years living in the DR and should know that by first experience several times now. But I get the feeling that we are not getting the full story here as other poster said.

 

[SantiagoDR]

... The only mystery to us is as to why the moto blocking me moved away. ...

That's why it's nice to have a 4x4 pick-up truck.
Just push them out of the way or drive over them (In Emergencies Only).


Don Don

 

[POP Bad Boy]

You won't believe this................

.................BUT what ADRIANB and another poster stated regarding hitting something MAY and I mean MAY be a possible scenerio........
.........we were at the airport at the same time..............

We came out of the airport and turned RIGHT to go to Puerto Plata.........
There was a girl on a blue moped which had been "hit" and there were pieces of the blue bike all over the ground..............there were a few motorchoncos standing around pointing etc.........but clearly the bike had been hit by a car!

.............I don't know what made me look, but since I was a passenger in the car, I had time to notice.............This would have been right after the flights arrived from JFK and Paris..................

 

[GringoCArlos]

Glad you got out OK windeguy. You did the right thing by first reaching for your gun, and then by getting the heck out of dodge. Even if one doesn't have a gun your car, just acting as if you ARE reaching for one usually persuades the other party to hit the gas. And if they don't , you do. Go to a police station and let them and your insurance company straighten it out later - I ain't gonna stop if in a similar situation.

As for another difference between residents and visitors, almost all visitors assume that everyone in the DR is just using their horns a lot, never realizing that dominicanos speak a second language - BOCINA. The local drivers aren't just using their horns, they are giving distinct messages to each other, and believe me, it's understood. Once you "speak" bocina", it seems there are a lot fewer problems driving the streets, and everyone else knows what you are going to do.

 

[windeguy]

Nothing of the kind, ExtremeR

Windeguy, when you went away from the guys in your car, did you look in your side or main mirrors??? which were their reaction??

I believe if they wanted to hijack your car, you would be complaining about your stolen car in this thread instead of a attempted hijack one, but that's not to say that those guys were to no good, maybe they wanted to fight you or something. Did you yell at them, or honked without stopping?? like a long beep?? That triggers a lot of fights in the DR, that's why I am very cautious as how I honk.

I was more concerned with not hitting traffic as I made my why from airport exit and turned east. I did not see anyone coming behind me.

And No long beep to start this incident. In fact the person I beeped at did not say one word to me. It was one of the people came up to the car from out of nowhere that was yelling at me to stop. I was in fact stopped the entire time until the moto blocking my wave moved. None of us in the car said anything or even gestured to anyone. I can assure you I did nothing to provoke this incident.

 

[windeguy]

I still see no point in going to the police.

You really should go to the police even if it is a waste of time, for all the faults the police have is your responsability to go there, put a querella and keep it for yourself, 2 wrongs doesn't make a right. Because the police has a fame of being lazy and thiefs themselves doesn't give you the right to be irresponsible about the situation and not denouncing it. You really should go.

As I mentioned I will speak to the airport personnel. Since you appear to be Dominican, you should know going to the police would be totally useless.