Horror moment dad is dragged along road by stolen van as he tries to stop thief – before he’s nearly crushed under wheel

THIS is the horrifying moment a dad was dragged along the road by his stolen van while trying to stop a masked thief.

The man was seen running from his home in Sheffield as the yob starts pulling out of his driveway.

He then attempts to open the door but the thief accelerates - leaving the owner frantically running alongside the van.

Shocking footage shows him clinging on for dear life as his bare legs and feet are dragged along the ground.

He is eventually forced to let go as the van speeds up - causing him to fall and roll on the road.

At one stage he becomes sickeningly close to being crushed under the wheels of the van but thankfully moves away just in time.

His partner shared the harrowing footage on Facebook - including a brief clip of the man in hospital with bandages on his legs.

She said the brand new white Renault Trafic was taken on Tuesday morning.

The woman added: "My partner was dragged all the way up the rest of Smalldale Road clinging onto the van to try and get back in & now he is injured and has to be treated by burns specialists for his body".

She continued: "Absolutely gut wrenching to watch, how close the van was to running over his head on the second video!! Keep sending CCTV footage if you have any. Every little bit of evidence helps!!"

South Yorkshire Police confirmed they have launched a probe into the horror.

A spokesperson said: "At 7am on Tuesday (10 September) we received reports of a vehicle theft in Sheffield.

"It is reported that a van parked on Smalldale Road was stolen.

"It is believed a person wearing black clothing and a black balaclava entered the vehicle and drove off.

"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting incident number 14/162424/24.