Moments earlier,  two thugs had jumped the 17-year-old as he got out of his car on Friday, about 2pm.

‘‘Give us the f---ing keys,’’ one of the carjackers demanded.

Alex tried  to walk away but was belted across the back of his head and fell hard.

One of the assailants fled but the other, described as well over 182centimetres (six foot) grabbed  60-kilogram Alex in a headlock and dragged him to the side of the  car park beside the Royal Newcastle Centre.

‘‘I thought he was going to throw me over the edge; I thought I was dead,’’ Alex, a year 12 student at St Mary’s, Maitland, said. ‘‘He said no one is coming to help you. Drop your keys, your wallet, phone.’’

It was only when a woman who came across the attack cried  out, that the attacker released Alex and then bizarrely protested that Alex had been assaulting him.

The attacker then jumped into the Peugeot hatchback, smashed through the car park boom gate and headed towards the hospital entrance.  He collected his initial accomplice on the way and then a third man at the hospital bus stop.

 The car then sped from the hospital as shocked onlookers called  police.

About 20 police, responding to an estimated seven triple-zero calls, were quickly on the scene.

Alex was treated for a cut to the back of his head and bruised ribs.

He had initially arrived at the hospital to drop items off to his mother, a volunteer with the transplant group.

He had followed his father Bob, whom he was planning to meet up with for a late lunch, into the car park. His father was not aware of the attack because  he had driven ahead to look for another car park.

‘‘I was in the foyer and I saw Alex’s car speeding all over the place. It didn’t make sense initially,’’ his mother said.

‘‘It was the worst moment of my life when I realised what had happened.’’

Parts of the incident, including when the car momentarily stopped at the bus stop, were captured by hospital security cameras.

‘‘They [the attackers] had Alex’s phone in the car so I sent them a text telling them what I thought of them,’’ Mrs Brown said.

She said a hospital security officer who had reviewed the security camera footage told her that he recognised one of the men from an earlier disturbance in the day.

Alex’s licence was later found among plants at Westfield Kotara shopping centre.

His car was found on Saturday afternoon dumped near Cardiff train station. It has been impounded by police.

Still shaken when he spoke to the Newcastle Herald on Sunday, Alex said he was determined not to let the horrific ordeal define him.

‘‘My neck is a bit sore, but I’ll get over it,’’ he said.

It is his second setback this year – his friend Shannen Riggien died when she fell from the back of a ute at East Maitland in January.

A police media spokesman said forensic officers would examine Alex’s car for clues.

John Hunter Hospital general manager Debbie Bradley it was  upsetting to learn such an incident had occurred.

‘‘John Hunter Hospital is assisting police with their inquiries and complying with all requests for information and footage,’’ she said. 

‘‘I thank our staff members who witnessed this event for contacting police and I am pleased to hear that the victim is recovering.’’