A CARJACKER armed with a crowbar smashed up windows and forced a driver to get out of his own vehicle before speeding off with it.

A 19-year-old, from Basildon, was sitting with his friends in his blue Ford Fiesta at the Festival Leisure Park with a man suddenly demanded that they get out. He smashed up several of the car’s windows.

The terrified group fled and the man drove off with the Fiesta.

It was found abandoned later that morning on the A13, in London.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses who saw what happened or saw the car being driven away from the scene following the incident.

It had been parked in the car park near Unit 7, Pizza Hut and the taxi rank at the time of the robbery, which happened between 3am and 3.35am on Monday.

A 20-year-old woman, from Wickford, witnessed the incident as she was waiting at the taxi rank following a night out at Unit 7.

She said: “A boy jumped on the bonnet of the car and started punching the windows.

“Then he started smashing it with a crowbar, nearly every window was smashed.

“There were people in the car.

“It was so scary, my friend was having a panic attack.

“I walked over the road with her and the next thing I saw was the car revving off. I didn’t see anybody get into the car.”

The suspect has been described as white, between 5ft 4ins and 5ft 7ins tall, aged between about 19 to 23 and of stocky build.

He had short blond hair and wore jeans and a short-sleeved polo shirt.

Anyone with information, or anyone with mobile phone or dash cam footage, is asked to contact Det Con Sam Sheehan at Basildon CID on 101. Crimestoppers an be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111.