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Carjacker's joyride in a taxi ends in crash

A carjacker stole a hack's taxi when he stopped to gas up at a South Philadelphia service station early this morning and took the cab on a joyride that ended in smoke and smashed glass when he wrecked while fleeing police.

A carjacker stole a hack's taxi when he stopped to gas up at a South Philadelphia service station early this morning and took the cab on a joyride that ended in smoke and smashed glass when he wrecked while fleeing police.

The incident began just after 2:15 a.m., when the Old City Cab driver pulled into the Hess gas station on Broad Street near Kater to refuel, said Officer Jillian Russell, a police spokeswoman. When he opened his car door to step out, a man pushed him out of the way, jumped in the driver's seat and sped away, Russell said. The hack reported the carjacking, and police spotted the taxi on Diamond Street near 54th in Overbrook. The cops gave chase, and the carjacker crashed into a tree and several parked cars before abandoning the cab, a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria, and sprinting away on foot, Russell said. Officers lost him in the area. The cabbie was uninjured.

Tipsters can call South Detectives at (215) 686-3013.