CLIFTON, N.J. — A gas station worker in New Jersey was seriously injured Tuesday when she was thrown from the hood of her vehicle while attempting to stop a carjacker from driving away, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Clifton Police Department, the victim, who was working at a Sunoco station in Clifton, was warming up her 2014 Audi at approximately 4:45 p.m. EST as she neared the end of her shift.

As the woman prepared to leave, a man in a black ski mask got out of another vehicle and entered the victim’s car on the driver’s side, Clifton police Detective Lt. Robert Bracken told NJ.com in an email.

“The suspect then attempted to drive off, at which time the victim jumped on the hood of her vehicle,” wrote in the email, which was also shared on Facebook.

The suspect began to accelerate at a high rate of speed, causing the victim to lose her grip on the Audi and get thrown to the road, NJ.com reported.

Bracken said the suspected carjacker and the driver of another vehicle believed to be involved in the incident fled and nearly collided with a transit bus, according to the news outlet.

The woman was treated by officers and firefighters before she was taken to a hospital in nearby Paterson, where she was listed in serious condition, police said.

According to police, the victim’s vehicle was recovered several hours later in Newark.

Police said an investigation is ongoing.

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