This is the bizarre moment a passenger jumped out of a car and ran into the bush after becoming scared by a massive elephant nearby.

Shannon Melville, 26, was on holiday with her family when they visited the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in South Africa on November 3.

All of a sudden, a massive bull elephant approached a car in front of them and walked closer and closer to it.

Apparently freaking out, the passenger opened his door and sprinted off into the bush abandoning the car and its driver which was left needing to drive off.

Shannon said: “The immediate reaction was shock and laughter, it seemed unbelievable.

“Then some fear set in as we were worried the elephant may charge him or he may run into another dangerous predator in the bush he ran into.

“We noticed the bull elephant on the road with the car stopped and not moving. We stopped a slight distance away and I began recording thinking it may be a close encounter.

“It was definitely a large bull and one of the larger elephants we viewed over our stay in the reserve.

“It was the passenger of the car, leaving the driving in a slightly sticky situation as they now couldn't drive off without the passenger.

“I can only imagine them doing it out of complete fear of the elephant tipping the vehicle.

“The elephant eventually passed our vehicle and the passenger was seen running out the bush again and returning to the car.”