Turkish cliffhanger: Locals sit on tourist's car to stop it from plunging into Bosphorus (VIDEO)

Tourists have long been a hazard on unknown roads, but it seems their cars are dangerous even when parked. Passersby in Istanbul stepped in to save a visitor's rental car from plunging into the Bosphorus Strait this week, using nothing but their body weight.

The tourist, who parked his car near the Bosphorus Strait while visiting a museum in the Besiktas district, forgot to deploy the handbrake on the rental vehicle, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Witnesses at the scene say they noticed the car slowly sliding towards the strait, and quickly jumped into action to stop the car from plunging to its fate.

Sitting on the hood of the car, the men balanced it on land until a lifting crane could come to the rescue.

The fire department eventually arrived with the crane, and was able to pull the car safely away from the water.

Meanwhile, police officers searched the museum for the tourist, who reportedly panicked when he heard about the incident. He has reason to be grateful, as the rental company likely wouldn't be too happy to hear about the car's attempt at swimming.