The working man's hero speaks!
The Chicagoan who famously drove his Jeep Wrangler off a tow truck last week told The Huffington Post on Tuesday that he had no choice but to "put it in drive" -- his dog was in the passenger seat when the tow truck driver was leaving.
The man, who only gave his name as Victor, said his Jeep was still running when he left the Walgreens parking lot for about a minute to pick up some grub across the street.
"I saw the tow truck backing up to my Jeep, so I walked up and let him know, 'Hey, I'm moving it,'" Victor told HuffPost Weird News. "He decides to lift it up anyway and take off with it ... and my dog."
Victor saw the YouTube video of his daring escape, which instantly became a viral sensation. In dramatic footage caught by Tony Marengo last Sunday night, Victor can be seen sitting in his vehicle -- which was being lifted up by the tow truck at the time -- yelling at the driver to stop.
He told HuffPost that he'd had enough, and rolled down the window to scream, "Hey buddy, watch this!"
That's when he gunned it.
Victor said he was afraid to speak out until he confirmed that what he did was completely legal.
"Legally he’s supposed to put me down if I’m there during the towing process," Victor said. "He thinks he’s gonna take my car with my bulldog in it? Hell no!"
He said he knew what he was getting into by parking at the Walgreens, and usually has an indifferent relationship with tow truck drivers. But he alleges that this particular tow truck driver was breaking every rule in the book.
"[The Walgreens tow people] are known for being sharks. They take people very quickly, and I knew what I was doing," he said. "I'm pretty good at paying for parking and following the rules. This guy was just an insane crazy bastard! I know tow truck drivers have to do their jobs, but trying to take off with me and my dog inside? That's not right. It's holding my car for ransom."