Hero barber reveals how he dragged Helen Haines’ attacker from LandCruiser, kicked away a flick knife and pinned him to the ground
Developed over time first seen 2 hours ago
Barber Ricky Jefferies says he pulled a driver from a four-wheel-drive after it struck independent MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. He found a flick knife in the man’s pocket, kicked it away and restrained him until police arrived; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised his intervention.
Haines, 65, was retrieving belongings from her car when witnesses said the driver made a U-turn and hit her, then reversed and struck her again. She suffered severe lower-body injuries and was airlifted about 250 kilometres to Melbourne for emergency surgery; she remained in a critical condition, with concerns she could lose a leg. The 43-year-old driver was arrested, and counterterrorism authorities were investigating; no charges had been laid by Tuesday morning.
- A barber restrained the driver after Haines was struck.
- Haines underwent emergency surgery and remained critically ill.
- Police arrested a 43-year-old man as authorities investigated.
Full account
A barber who intervened after federal MP Helen Haines was struck by a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta has described pulling the driver from a Toyota LandCruiser and holding him until police arrived. Ricky Jefferies said the incident unfolded directly outside his shop, next door to the office. After removing the man from the vehicle, Jefferies said he found a flick knife in the man’s pocket, kicked it away and kept him on the ground. Police arrived within minutes, he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Jefferies for stepping in.
Haines, the independent MP for Indi, was taking belongings from the boot of her car on Murphy Street on Monday afternoon when the LandCruiser struck her. Witness accounts relayed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke suggest the driver turned into the car park, hit Haines, reversed and struck her again. Those details remain allegations under investigation. Haines suffered severe injuries to her lower body. She was treated locally before being flown to Melbourne for emergency surgery, and both reports describe her condition as critical.
Police arrested Brendan Nugent, 43, from Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta, at the scene. The reports said he remained in custody, with no charges laid at the time they were written. Counterterrorism authorities were involved in the investigation, but neither report establishes a motive. The second report focuses on an X account under Nugent’s name that discusses Gaza, Israel and environmental issues. It says the account had interacted with Haines in the past and had posted a photograph of a LandCruiser bearing the same registration plate as the vehicle identified at the scene. Those online posts do not, on their own, explain why Haines was attacked.
The attack has drawn attention both to Haines’s injuries and to Jefferies’ immediate response. He said he was back at work the following day. Albanese also raised concern about threats directed at politicians. Investigators still have to establish the circumstances of the collision and whether the driver had any political or other motive. The accounts agree on the broad sequence of the incident, the arrest and Jefferies’ intervention, while leaving important questions about Haines’s recovery and the suspect’s intentions unresolved.
Where outlets differ
The first report says doctors feared Haines could lose a leg after surgery; the second says she had lost one. The supplied material does not resolve that difference.
The first report concentrates on Jefferies’ account, witness descriptions of the collision and officials’ responses. The second concentrates on an X account under Nugent’s name and its political and environmental posts; it does not establish that those views motivated the incident.