Car jackings and theft are a regular occurrence in just about any Grand Theft Auto game, including GTA Online. Although it's more likely that the players themselves are stealing vehicles out from either NPCs or fellow players, it's not completely unheard of for an NPC to randomly help themselves to a car.
However, what is much rarer is to see an NPC decide to steal a helicopter right out from under a player. One can imagine the player's bewilderment, then, when a second GTA Online NPC emerged and did the same thing before they could react.
There's plenty of flying vehicles in GTA Online, and in this particular incident, the player was sitting in a Sparrow helicopter. As Paulchen_Lichtstrahl's video begins, the player can be seen sitting in the cockpit of the Sparrow, either having just landed or getting ready to take off. However, an NPC decides that either way they want that ride, and they run around the side of the Sparrow, yank the player out of the driver's seat, and settle in themselves.
The GTA Online player seems to be confused by the moment, pointing at the NPC sitting in the cockpit, who seemed content to just sit there. However, before they have a chance to take it back, a car crashes into them and they're temporarily knocked off their feet. In the time it takes them to recover, a second NPC runs up to the Sparrow, yanks the first NPC out, and plops down themselves. Unlike their counterpart, they quickly take to the skies, disappearing with the player's Sparrow and leaving the player and first NPC standing around staring at the sky, looking lost.
Several commenters poked fun at how nothing is safe or sacred in Los Santos, while others expressed shock and amusement at the chopper actually taking off under the control of the second NPC. It's not clear what exactly triggered NPCs to randomly help themselves to a player's helicopter. While it could definitely be a nuisance depending on what the player was actively doing at the time, it's not a huge hassle, as getting another vehicle or even a helicopter delivered to the player's vicinity isn't that difficult in GTA Online. One commenter even pointed out that if it was the player's Sparrow, they could have sent it back to storage and let the NPC plummet to the ground in the process, if the player wanted revenge.
Most of the chaos in GTA Online is caused by players' actions, but random moments like these make the game even more memorable. One can only imagine what crazy moments may happen in GTA 6 when it eventually launches.
GTA Online is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.