The fight to get him out of the car was all caught on camera. Now, they're sharing their story exclusively with Eyewitness News.
Star Carter moved in a flash when the stranger suddenly hopped in the back seat. Meanwhile, her husband Mike was temporarily locked in his seatbelt and trying to help.
The video shows Star then forcefully pull the man from the car, sending him tumbling.
"I had to remove him from my vehicle," Star said. "When I got him out of the car, I kind of like, threw my hands up, and I went into a motherly instinct, and I told him, 'Don't you ever do nothin' stupid like this no more.' And he just kind of walked away like, 'Is she crazy?'"
It started out with plans to meet family for a night of fun. The couple had tickets to see Deon Cole at the Hollywood Improv.
The Carters decided to gas up before the comedy show so they could head home straight after, but they never expected what happened next.
"He asked the guy, like, 'Hey man, are you good? Are you ok?' He didn't say anything," Star said of the moments before the strange encounter.
The young man appeared to move along, but he was actually standing right next to a nearby gas pump.
"And I figured by the time Mike got back to the car and shushed him away, he would leave," Star said. "But as soon as Mike got in the car, he fastened his seatbelt, and then his seatbelt lock got stuck. My door lock wouldn't lock anymore, and he was able to just hop in the backseat of my car."
Star says they could tell instantly that the man was under the influence of something.
"It's an eye-opener for me because I have two daughters that drive and that's out on the road, and you just have to be aware, not just my kids, but everybody, women," Star said.
As for Mike, he says his wife is a hero.
"The next thing you know, I saw her jump out the car, and then he disappeared," Mike said. "I looked over the back, and she did what she did. She just grabbed him. I said, 'Ok, I know my wife is strong, but wow, she's strong.' Because the guy was on the ground."
"I kind of called it, 'Hollywood therapy,'" Star said with a laugh.
Thankfully, the Carters were not hurt.
They said they're sharing the surveillance video given to them by the gas station to remind fellow motorists to be safe out there.