Three young men, all would-be carjackers. One vehicle with a manual transmission.

You would think individuals with the ugly habit of stealing cars at gunpoint would have come across a stick shift at some point. Apparently not.

Nancy Frederickson said that she was fetching something from the trunk of her vehicle when suddenly someone demanded the keys to her car.

The 70-year-old thought the teen was kidding. Then the hooded youngster pointed a gun at her.

Startled, Frederickson dropped her keys. The would-be thief retrieved her car keys and then he and two other teenagers hopped into the elderly woman’s vehicle.

That turned out to be the beginning and end of their trip.

The youngsters were absolutely baffled by the stick shift and had no idea how to make the car leave the scene.

Teen Carjackers Thwarted by 70-year-old Victim’s Car With Stick Shift http://t.co/W17PkFGy4H pic.twitter.com/pzJnX70Xut

— MRS CANNABIS (@MrsCannabis) June 25, 2014

Frederickson said she just stood behind her vehicle as the trio of knuckleheads fiddled with the manual transmission.

No matter what they did, they simply could not get the car to start. Thankfully, the young suspects were too bewildered to harass the victim any further about her car.

They simply gave up.

A security camera, which captured the entire bizarre episode, showed the young men leaving the car on foot. They reportedly exited the scene by crossing a nearby parking lot.

Teen carjackers in Seattle defeated by stick shift http://t.co/PcVSv2X0t2 @washtimes #darwinawards #crime pic.twitter.com/6jLBudF7Li

— Jessica Chasmar (@JessicaChasmar) June 23, 2014

According to authorities, the failed carjackers left behind DNA and fiber evidence. Combined with the video surveillance footage, there’s a good chance the three suspects will be captured sooner rather than later.

Frederickson said that she’s able to view the incident with a measure of humor now, though she was quite shaken when it first occurred.

Said Frederickson, “It was quite an interesting day, let’s put it this way.”

Best way not to get your car stolen? Drive a stick shift. http://t.co/6EB7uLAMnM pic.twitter.com/vZdej1Frtb

— Transport. 4 America (@T4America) June 24, 2014

It’s hard to imagine someone willing to hold up an elderly woman at gunpoint, but criminals are often on the lookout for easy targets.

Luckily for this victim, the car was anything but easy for these clueless carjackers.

Image via Wikimedia Commons