A journalism student has thanked a homeless man and taxi driver who joined forces to tackle a thief who had stolen her phone.

Victoria Thiele, who studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, had her phone stolen by a boy on a bicycle while she was out in the city.

Victoria, 23, was out in the city’s Deansgate when the incident occurred, and she immediately shouted for help.

Nearby, a homeless man called Andrew heard the commotion and joined her to chase the cyclist.

Then, an Uber driver also pulled up alongside the pair and he gestured for them to get in after they explained the situation.

The trio tracked the thief down to nearby Young Street, where he had briefly stopped to switch the phone off.

After apprehending the boy, they retrieved her phone and flagged down two mounted police officers who were nearby.

Victoria, pictured, who is originally from Germany, told the Manchester Evening News on Thursday: “The Uber driver stopped next to him on Young Street, leaned out of the window and grabbed him by the arm, the homeless man got out of the car and tackled him and I took my phone from his hand.”

She added: “It was quite shocking. It’s one of those things you always hear about but you never expect it to happen to you.

“It was really surreal. When I got my phone back I was almost crying, I was shaking.

“The homeless guy gave the boy a bit of a lecture, he told him: ‘you don’t steal from people’.

“The officers told me it’s quite rare that you get your phone back, they said it was an amazing coincidence. I would like to thank them both properly.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson told the MEN: “At 2.40pm on Sunday 29 November 2020, police received a report of a theft on Quay Street, Manchester.

“A 16-year-old boy was cautioned.”