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A popular radio host said he was shaken after a “shocking” road rage incident in the Southern Highlands last year during which he was pursued, intimidated, and assaulted.

ABC Illawarra radio host Nick Rheinberger was driving a teenage family member home at around 7.30pm on September 7, 2021, when they arrived at an intersection near Mittagong.

After he paused to give way to another car, Mr Rheinberger realised he could hear shouting.

“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.

When he didn’t engage, the car pulled out of the intersection in front of him and both cars continued in the same direction along the Old Hume Highway. Still aggrieved by the radio host’s perceived slight, the driver of the Holden Commodore in front slowed to a crawl to goad him into overtaking.

“It was clear that they wanted me to overtake them and I just thought ‘they’re going to sideswipe me or something’,” he said.

Wanting to avoid any confrontation with a child in the car, Mr Rheinberger turned off the road – only to find it cut off by the other driver, who had followed suit and overtaken him and parked across the intersection.

The driver – 34-year-old Jeniella Johnson – got out of her car to confront the radio host.

“This young woman … was motioning as if to say ‘come and get me’,” he said.

Not wanting to expose his passenger to potential violence, Mr Rheinberger chose to drive around Johnson standing in the middle of the road.

“She was trying to put herself in the way,” he said.

There was a shocking thump at the back of the car as he drove by, which Mr Rheinberger hoped would be the end of the harrowing road-rage incident.

But when he left his house half an hour later, the Holden Commodore was waiting.

“The same car came up behind me, flashing its lights and beeping its horn. And I thought ‘this is ridiculous’,” Mr Rheinberger said.

As Johnson tailgated him with less than a metre between them, Mr Rheinberger realised the nearest open police station was two towns away.

He drove to a petrol station, where he knew there would be lights and CCTV cameras “just in case” and parked.

“Her car came screaming up and parked directly in front of my car and she got out and just started abusing me,” he said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really shocking.”

Mr Rheinberger retreated inside and watched as Johnson kicked a side mirror off his car. According to the police facts tendered to the Local Court, she was berating the radio host for nearly running her over.

The radio host then began to video Johnson as she shouted abuse at him, and the CCTV footage shows her walking up to him and slapping the phone out of his hand. As he bent to collect his phone and his keys, the police facts show Johnson stepped on his phone and pushed him back.

“I had no idea why she was doing this,” he said.

Mr Rheinberger went back inside the service station to call triple-0 while Johnson stood in the doorway to prevent him from leaving. She left before the police arrived but later told police she’d only wanted to speak to the victim about his manner of driving.

The radio host said he was “really really shaky” after the road-rage incident and was particularly worried for the safety of his family. He admitted to feeling vulnerable while driving his car, which he temporarily swapped with a friend.

“I was certainly hypervigilant for a couple of weeks,” he said.

“I had a couple of weeks where my eyes were absolutely peeled for that particular car.”

Moss Vale court was told that Johnson lived with bipolar disorder and had previously been in a major car accident that had badly affected her.

Mr Rheinberger acknowledged that mental illness had played a role in Johnson’s intense bout of road rage.

“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,” he said.

“Clearly that kind of reaction is not normal and not sustainable.”

Mr Rheinberger said the incident illustrated the lack of mental health services available for those in need.

“If you’ve got a broken leg, of course you go to the hospital, but if you have uncontrollable anger, you may not,” he said.

“There are not enough medical resources, particularly in regional areas. People are suffering everywhere.”

Johnson was sentenced in Moss Vale court on May 24 to an 18-month community corrections order and 75 hours of community service. The St Andrews resident was also prohibited from driving for at least 12 months.

Mr Rheinberger said he hoped never to be in a similar situation again.

“The less anger there is in the world, and especially on the road, the better,” he said.

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