A man was left bleeding in the street after he was pulled out of his car and hit over the head in a terrifying car jacking.

The 24-year-old was driving along Ballards Walk, Laindon, in the early hours of the morning when a black car suddenly swerved in front of him.

The motorist, who was driving a blue Ford Fiesta ST, was forced to carry out an emergency stop in a bid to avoid a crash.

When he came to a halt, the driver's side door of the black car, believed to be a BMW, opened and a man got out.

The stranger ran over to the Fiesta and opened the door.

The 24-year-old man, from Basildon, was then punched in the face and hit over the head with an unknown object, with left him with bloody cuts.

The attacker then dragged him out of the car.

The terrified victim ran away, and when he returned minutes later, both vehicles had disappeared.

Police then arrived at the scene shortly after 1.10am on Monday, but the victim told officers he did not want them to call an ambulance.

PC Sam Wayland, from Basildon police, is urging witnesses to come forward.

She said: “This is obviously a very terrifying attack, which has left the victim incredibly shaken and upset.

“Although this happened in the early hours of Monday morning, we would appeal for anybody to come forward who heard the altercation or saw either car.

“We would also be interested in finding the location of the victim’s car, which has so far not been recovered.”

Anyone with information can call Essex Police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete a form online at crimestoppers-uk.org.