They carefully studied their quarry, the time he would need to collect the money, how to grab the money bag and the escape route. They failed to plan, however, the amount of fuel their car would need to make a perfect escape.

A 27-year-old Romanian thief was arrested shortly after his getaway car ran out of fuel after just half a mile into their escape route.

Reports said the man snatched the bag containing $37,800 from the front seat of a car in Bucharest, Romania, and then jumped into a waiting car driven by an accomplice.

They did not, however, get far as their car quickly ran out of fuel.

Investigators believed the thief studied the victim and knew he planned to pick up money from a pharmacy.

An employee of the pharmacy and a security guard gave chase to the thief who caught up with him. He was turned over to the police for investigation.

His accomplice, the driver of the car, managed to escape on foot and is now the subject of a manhunt.