Carjacking caught in background of Barstool Sports video in Chicago

The theft took place while Portnoy and his team were filming their pizza review in front of Art of Pizza, a local restaurant in Chicago. While they were filming, they caught on camera a car pulling out a a parking space. The car struck a police vehicle before quickly driving away.

"On March 10, a 27-year-old male victim observed his vehicle on the street with an unknown male offender inside," police said. "The victim then flagged down officers nearby in a marked CPD squad car. The offender then accelerated & struck the rear of the squad car before fleeing west on Polk."

In the footage, Portnoy expressed shock that they caught the carjacking live on camera. "That guy just got hijacked, and we probably have it on live tv," he exclaimed.

The entirety of the motor vehicle theft was caught on the video behind Portnoy.

"I knew we had something really unique," Portnoy said in an interview later on. "We've been doing this pizza review thing now for close to four or five years. There's been a lot of weird stuff. I’ve never had a car robbery."

Police are investigating the incident and have reported no injuries as a result of the theft. They also have rejected the label of "carjacking," as under the law, a carjacking must include threats or force used against the owner of the vehicle.

Carjackings have skyrocketed in Chicago since 2019, with 2020 seeing double the number of carjackings as the previous year. Over 350 incidents have been reported in the first two months of 2021, leaving the city on track to surpass the numbers seen in 2020.

The increase corresponds with a general surge in crime in Chicago. The city saw a 50 percent increase in both shootings and murders in 2020, a trend which has been seen in many major cities across the United States.