A NURSE at the Mater Hospital in north Belfast has been left shaken after her car was hijacked.
The woman had just finished a night-shift when a man approached her red Mini Cooper, parked off the Crumlin Road, at around 7.55am on Saturday.
The man, in a grey hooded top and grey bottoms, opened the car door and ordered the woman to get out.
He got into the car and drove off towards Annesley Street. It is understood the car was later found abandoned.
Several of the nurse's colleagues came to her aid after she shouted for help.
Police said the woman was not physically injured but was left shaken.
A police spokesman said: "This happened just before 8am, when people would have been out and about going about their business, and I am appealing to anyone with information, or who may have captured dash cam footage, to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 494 of 31/07/21".
SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said the hijacking had left many nurses fearful.
"Some of the nursing staff who contacted me were telling me they don't feel safe and often have to leave work together. This incident left them very distressed and upset," he said.
"Our nursing staff have been keeping us all safe and working very hard throughout the pandemic, they certainly do not deserve to be treated like this and should feel safe going to and coming home from their workplace.
"I will be speaking with the PSNI following this incident and raising the nursing staff concerns with the Belfast Trust.
"We are very thankful to our nursing staff for all their hard work and who continue to respond to the current pressures. If anyone has any information or seen anything I would encourage you to report it to police."
Meanwhile, two men have been arrested after a car was hijacked and set on fire in a separate incident in north Belfast.
Police said they received a report that a man had been dragged from his car in the Hopewell Avenue area at around 2.50pm on Sunday.
The men then made off in the vehicle in the direction of the Crumlin Road. The car was found set alight in the Denmark Street area a short time later.
Police said the victim suffered "a terrifying ordeal".
One of the arrested men is aged in his thirties while the other is in his forties.
The PSNI has asked witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín condemned both incidents.
"This incident where a nurse finishing a shift at the Mater hospital had her car hijacked on the Crumlin Road was disgraceful," she said.
"It must have been a terrifying experience for the woman and while thankfully she was not physically injured she was left badly shaken.
"We also had a similar incident where a man was dragged from his car and the vehicle set on fire. I condemn these incidents and would call on anyone with information on what happened to bring it forward to the PSNI."
