SAN JOSE — Investigators are crediting alert neighbors with helping them catch a man suspected of stealing a woman’s purse, dragging her with his car and then running her over, according to San Jose police.

Miraculously, the 50-year-old victim was expected to survive despite suffering serious internal injuries. The man accused of injuring her has been identified as Timothy Michael Williams, 41, of San Jose.

According to police and witnesses, around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, the woman was returning to her car on Tunbridge Way, off Camden Avenue near Leland High School, when she saw a man stealing her purse from the vehicle.

The man then got into another car to drive off, but the woman caught up to him and reached through his driver’s side window, police said. The man dragged the woman for approximately 300 feet before she fell to the ground and was subsequently run over by the suspect’s car, leaving her in the street.

But neighbors who witnessed the encounter ran to her aid, and recorded license plate information from the fleeing vehicle. The victim was rushed to the hospital.

Using the witness information, robbery detectives identified a suspect and around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the MERGE (SWAT) team located and arrested Williams on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked in the Santa Clara County jail and is being held on $75,000 bail.

Robbery Sgt. Larry Day lauded residents of the Graystone neighborhood for their aid in the arrest.

“Having a strong engaged neighborhood is one of the best ways to deter crime,” Day said, “and keep those who would prey on others at bay.”

Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.