Authorities say a purse snatching bid at a New Jersey mall was foiled by a good Samaritan who used a pocket knife to puncture a tire on the thief's getaway vehicle.

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Twenty-five-year-old Shane Mahi of Franklin Lakes faces robbery charges stemming from Thursday night's attack at the Garden State Plaza Mall in Englewood, in which the victim was thrown to the ground.

The good Samaritan, 48-year-old Pedro Solla, tells The Record he was driving in the mall's garage when he saw a man acting strangely and heard a woman scream. Solla eventually ran after the assailant and, after almost being struck by Mahi's vehicle, punctured his left rear tire.

Mahi was captured after he had to stop on Route 17 in Rochelle Park due to the flat tire.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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