A New Orleans man stopped car thieves trying to steal his Lexus RX on Christmas Eve using a pot of gumbo. He did so after being hit by the car twice.

The footage, via WDSU News, shows incredible footage from a security camera that starts with the Lexus owner leaving his vehicle running while he quickly dropped off gumbo as a Christmas gift.

A silver crossover pulls up, likely realizing the car was running after the owner left it, and a passenger jumps out and gets in the Lexus. By the time the car thief figured out how to put it in drive, the owner had realized what was going on and got back in front of the car, which hit him before stopping abruptly.

Clearly, anger and adrenaline had taken over the besuited man, knocking him back. Incredibly, the man was fast and agile enough to stay on his feet, even after being hit a second time. His reaction was to throw the soup at the Lexus before scrambling up to grab hold of the criminal through the open sunroof.

The would-be hijacker gave up and exited the car, leaving the Lexus owner with a new jacket.

This could have ended in tragedy or severe injury at so many points. Almost every decision, while understandable, was wrong.

"I was nearly run over twice and reacted on instinct to protect myself and my property," the Lexus owner, that wishes to remain unidentified, said. "What would you do in this situation? In hindsight, there were better decisions I could have made, but I am fed up with crime in this city. We expect our police and municipal leaders to protect their citizens."

It's worth us pointing out that he was in no apparent danger until he ran in front of the car. He was then lucky that the hijacker slammed on the brakes and didn't just drive over him.

He was also fortunate that the thief's accomplices either weren't armed or chose not to shoot at him. He was lucky not to be thrown from the roof or injured by the sunroof. But none of that is the biggest lesson to be learned.

Now that car security systems from the factory are so effective; cars are more often stolen while the keys are left inside, including when the engine is running. Leaving a vehicle running when not attended to is foolish, even if it's just for a few moments.

The video above attests to that. The thieves saw an opportunity and went for it. On top of that, nobody's life is worth more than a car, and this Lexus owner risked that several times.

Having said that, it was a fantastic display of determination and grit, and we're glad one of the criminals suffered the indignity of losing his jacket to what they saw as a soft mark. We hope he frames it and hangs it on the wall.