Terrifying footage of a woman hanging on to a car as it speeds down the Californian freeway has surfaced online.

The incident occurred on Monday evening (12 June) on the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana near the Dyer Road exit. It was captured on film by one Gabriel Martinez of Orange County.

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Martinez explained that the woman had got out of a white car and approached the black Honda Civic, banging on the passenger side's windscreen.

The Honda then took off, driving across many lanes on the busy road, trying to shake the woman off.

Eventually, the car slowed and she released her grip, miraculously escaping without any injuries.

Martinez said there was a woman in the passenger side of the male-driven Honda and he speculated that the incident could have resulted from jealousy.

"The dude that was driving, that girl on the side [in the passenger seat] must have been the side chick and then the girl that jumped out of the car was the real girlfriend," he speculated.

"So she went over there to beat up the side chick that's what we think because it seems kind of weird because it just happened out of nowhere."

Other traffic on the 55 slowed to a near standstill as woman was dragged dangerously near other cars before freeing herself near the right shoulder.

woman dragged by car
The woman is alleged to have banged on the passenger window, where another woman sat Screengrab/Facebook/ABC

Martinez told KTLA5: ""Basically, we noticed somebody jump out of a car and when we looked over we were like 'whoa' – it didn't process right.

"After that we saw she ran towards the other vehicle and started swinging at the passenger side and I guess the black car in defence just took off.

"Then she held on for dear life and for a couple of minutes going around 12 mph I would say. I was afraid for the chick, for her well being. I didn't want he to get run over or anything like that."