A girl walking her dog has discovered a kidnapped man who was tied up and locked in the trunk of a car.

The 17-year-old girl was on Lindsley Avenue in Irvington, New Jersey when she heard an odd scratching sound coming from the back of a parked Nissan Altima at around 7.10am on Thursday.

As she investigated the scratching sound she said, 'Hello?' and someone inside the trunk responded, 'Hello! Help me, help me, help me!'

The girl alerted her mother, who called police. 'It's like I was just in a horror movie,' the girl said, her mom Marie Banks told WNBC-TV.

A girl walking her dog heard a man screaming for help from the trunk of this black Nissan Altima in Irvington, New Jersey on Thursday morning

Marie Banks (above) says her daughter came running home to tell her what she had heard, saying 'It's like I was just in a horror movie.' Banks called 911 immediately

Cops rushed to the scene and found a bound man in his 20s inside the trunk.

He reportedly told police that he had been carjacked overnight in Hillside and driven around to ATMs by kidnappers, who forced him to withdraw money.

Chillingly, investigators speculate that the kidnappers may have been planning to return for the victim on Thursday and force him to withdraw more money after his daily ATM limit reset.

The victim was wearing only a hooded sweatshirt, sweatpants and boots, which would not have allowed him to survive for long in below-freezing temperatures.

The car was towed from the scene and officers were canvassing the neighborhood

Police are seen investigating the scene and talking to witnesses after the rescue

Temperatures dipped into the low 10s overnight in the area.

'I told my daughter she saved a life this morning because there's no telling how long this person was locked in this trunk in this frigid weather,' Banks said.

Police are talking to the victim and investigating the kidnapping. No description of the suspects has been released.

The car was towed from the scene and officers were canvassing the neighborhood.

It's not yet clear whether the kidnappers were known to the victim.