ABC7 Eyewitness News
Lesley Garcia, 14, told ABC7 her legs were "hanging out of the car" as she fought tooth and nail to retrieve her prized phone; a Christmas gift from her parents.
The robbery happened in east Elmhurst, Queens on 87th street near 32nd Avenue.
Garcia says a young man approached her on her way to school and asked to borrow her phone. When Garcia hesitated, the man said he knew her brother, then grabbed the device and ran.
Garcia's dad told ABC7 that surveillance video shows what happened next; his daughter put up a hair-pulling fight to stop the robber, chasing him as he tried to get away in his car.
Garcia was halfway inside the vehicle when they drove off, injuring her legs, which were dragging behind.
"Half of her body was inside the car, and the other half of her body was laying in the street," her dad said.
The teenager simply said she just "wanted her phone back."
Her dad, while happy his daughter is ultimately okay, is less than thrilled with Lesley's priorities.
"I don't care about the phone, I can get a new one. I can't get a new daughter," he said.
Here is the full story from ABC7 Eyewitness News: