Courageous car inferno doc
By Samantha Williams and Rhett Watson
March 20, 2007 12:00
A DOCTOR who was terrifyingly left trapped in the boot of his burning BMW by carjackers was today back at work delivering babies.
Just a day after his ordeal - which began when he was answering a 3am emergency - obstetrician Steven Tan was on duty again.
Fronting a press conference outside his hospital today, Dr Tan spoke briefly of his ordeal.
"What happened to me was without a doubt the most terrifying experience of my life," he said.
"It was nothing short of a miracle that I'm alive today."
He told how his first concern throughout his plight was the safety of his wife and two young daughters.
The 34-year-old had travelled from his home at Forestville, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, when he was pulled over in North Sydney by two men pretending to be police officers about 3.15am.
Police said Dr Tan stopped in Falcon St and asked the two men, who were driving a red sedan, for identification.
Instead they grabbed his keys from the ignition, ordered him from the black prestige car and stole his watch, mobile phone and wallet, demanding all the PIN codes for his bank cards.
Dr Tan was then bundled into the boot of the car and driven around for 45 minutes. The men then stopped and set fire to it.
Dr Tan scrambled out before the flames took hold.
Today he urged his attackers to come forward during the press conference at Mater Hospital, Crows Nest.
Detective Inspector Peter Houlihan said he was impressed by the doctor's bravery and dedication to his work.
"His presence here belies what he is feeling. That's the kind of man he is."
Last night it emerged that despite narrowly escaping a horrific death, the dedicated doctor was still intent on reaching the patient whose emergency labour had unwittingly led to his kidnapping.
Witnesses said the specialist first asked where he was, before inquiring how far he was from the Mater Hospital, where he was due to deliver a baby.
"We heard a car horn, banging and shouting before the (doctor) called out for help," Sybil Judge, who lives in Carisbrook St, Linley Point, said.
"We went outside and it was like watching fireworks as the car was exploding because of the flames."
Dr Tan yesterday told police he wanted to keep a low profile following the kidnapping, which began as he raced to deliver a baby at the Mater Hospital.
Investigators believe the crooks were stopping to withdraw cash from Dr Tan's accounts.
Police are checking to see how much money was stolen, from which ATMs and whether the carjackers had been captured on CCTV.
Dr Tan's horrific ordeal ended in Carisbrook St about 4am.
"He heard 'click' in the boot and someone said 'get out of the car'," Inspector Peter Houlahan said.
The car was already well alight by the time the terrified doctor pulled himself out of the boot.
He then ran to a residence in the street, pleading for help.
Remarkably, he suffered only minor injuries.
A spokesman for the Mater Hospital declined to comment on the matter but The Daily Telegraph understands that the baby Dr Tan was en route to deliver was safely delivered by another of the hospital's gynecologists.
The only description Dr Tan could provide of his attackers was that both men were Caucasian and in their 20s.
One was also 183cm tall with short, blond hair. Inspector Houlahan said carjackers were rare on the North Shore and described Dr Tan's ordeal as "quite serious and extremely worrying".
Anyone who has seen the small red sedan or witnessed the attack can call North Sydney police on 9956 3199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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