After a horrifying road rage attack in which a young woman stalked and bullied the guy before hitting him in a petrol station, a renowned ABC Radio broadcaster has been left terrified.
On September 7 last year, ABC Illawarra radio host Nick Rheinberger was driving a teenage family member home when a woman began screaming at him at an intersection near Mittagong.
Janiella Johnson, 34, then pursued Mr Rheinberger down a quiet street before finally catching up with him and chasing him into a service station.
He told a Moss Vale court, “Her car came screaming up and stopped straight in front of my car, and she got out and just started abusing me.”
‘I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really shocking.’
The ABC host had been driving his younger family member home just after 7.30pm when he heard someone shouting at him from another vehicle.
‘I wound my window down and it was clear that I was being screamed at from the car about what a terrible driver I was. And it just went on and on,’ he said.
The cars began driving up the Old Hume Highway, with Ms Johnson slowing down to force Mr Rheinberger to overtake her.
‘It was clear that they wanted me to overtake them and I just thought ‘they’re going to sideswipe me or something’,’ he told the court, as reported by NCA NewsWire.
The ABC host turned off the road but was cut off by Ms Johnson again, who had parked her car across the intersection. She then got out of her car and motioned for Mr Rheinberger to get out of his vehicle.
‘This young woman … was motioning as if to say ‘come and get me’,’ he said.
Mr Rheinberger, not wanting to get into an altercation with the woman and with a scared child in his car, drove around the woman before hearing a loud thud at the back of his car as he passed her.
He returned home, before leaving half an hour later to find Ms Johnson was waiting for him.
‘The same car came up behind me, flashing its lights and beeping its horn. And I thought ‘this is ridiculous’,’ Mr Rheinberger said.
With the closest police station still open two towns away, the radio host drove to a petrol station where he knew there would be CCTV footage should she continue to pursue him.
He parked his car before Ms Johnson again parked in front of him, getting out of her vehicle and continuing to abuse him.
Mr Rheinberger fled inside the building, before she blocked the door so he couldn’t leave.
While attempting to film her, Ms Johnson slapped the phone out of his hand and pushed him. She fled before police arrived.
According to police facts tendered in court, the woman claims she was reacting to him nearly running her over.
The court was also told Ms Johnson struggles with mental illness and had previously been in a major car accident which she was still dealing with.
‘I know in the judgment they said there were some mental health struggles. I hope whatever comes out of this that she reflects on it and gets good help,’ Mr Rheinberger said outside of court.
Clearly that kind of reaction is not normal and not sustainable.’
The ABC host said he has been driving on edge for weeks, always keeping an eye out for her vehicle.
Ms Johnson was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order and 75 hours of community service after pleading guilty to knowingly driving a vehicle in a menacing manner, destruction of property, common assault, and intimidation.
She has been banned from driving for at least 12 months.