A rude awakening Tuesday morning ended with a Bronx mom standing victorious over her would-be car thief.

Tahisha Jones, a single parent of two, says she was taking her youngest son to school and automatically started her Honda Pilot from upstairs.

She then walked downstairs to hop in the car when she says she saw a man trying to work the ignition since he did not have the key to drive her car.

Jones says as she approached her car, she was denied entry from the passenger side. She then went to the driver's side and dragged the man from behind the wheel. She kicked him and pinned him down until police arrived.

The 49-year-old, who has a heart condition, says she did it for all car owners who have been victimized.

"If you mess with my car, I'm going to bust you up, that's all I know," says Jones.

Bernardino Santiago, the man who was allegedly behind the wheel, faces charges of attempted grand larcent, attempted petite larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Jones says her auto-starter is not supposed to unlock her car doors, so she is unsure how they were open in the first place.