A terrifying encounter with a strange man on a Wollongong street could have ended very differently for Teihana Gardener-Greentree.
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Teihana was about to get out of her car on George Street and head to work on Wednesday morning when a man dressed in a singlet and underwear approached her.
"I locked the car straight away - I just had a gut feeling," she said.
Worried that he might be unwell, she wound down her window a crack to speak to him.
"He asked me to take him to the doctors - I told him I couldn't do that, but I could call him an ambulance," she said.
As Teihana called the ambulance, the man began to try to open her car door, before producing a metal pole and tapping her car window with it.
Increasingly frightened, Teihana was trying to speak with the ambulance officer over the phone while the man's behaviour escalated.
Then another young woman walked past.
"She asked if I was okay and I just gave her the big eyes," Teihana said.
The other woman instantly recognised the plea for help, and told the man he needed to leave the car alone.
Her intervention gave Teihana enough time to explain what was happening to the ambulance officer.
When a second woman arrived and also urged the man to get lost he fled.
"I was so shaken and the first girl who had come by stayed with me for a while," Teihana said.
"I was too shaken to ask her name at the time, so I posted on the UOW buy and sell facebook page looking for her so I could thank her."
The post led to an outpouring of love and support in response - and eventually attracted the attention of Teihana's "saviour", Amielle.
It was Amielle Cordina's 19th birthday and she was walking to work when she noticed a barely-clothed man holding a metal pole and speaking to a woman in a car.
She didn't hesitate to get involved.
"I made eye contact with Teihana and she gave me the eyes like 'help me'," Amielle said.
"As soon as I saw what was happening I didn't think twice, I had too much adrenalin.
"It wasn't right, and I knew if it was me I would want someone to help me."
Reunited by facebook the two women have plans to meet for a more pleasant catch up.
They urged anyone who sees something that isn't right to get involved - it could change someone's life.
"Everyone has that gut feeling - listen to it, it could save your life," Teihana said.
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