Today show reporter Christine Ahern has spoken out about being targeted by thieves during a live cross in Melbourne.
The veteran reporter and her cameraman were setting up equipment at around 5am on Thursday following a major fire in Footscray.
The pair were then approached by six people who picked up the camera gear and “took off”.
“My cameraman, Glen, tends to get to the locations before me… I texted him and said, ‘Look, we’ve been to this location before, it’s a bit dodgy so just be careful’,” Ahern told 3AW Breakfast on Thursday.
“He was setting up the equipment on Nicholson Street for our first live cross, and he put out the tripod and the light stand when there was a group of locals.
“They picked up the equipment and decided to take off with it!”
Ahern, who has worked for the Nine Network for more than 20 years, revealed her cameraman “bravely” confronted the brazen thieves.
“Glen has gone up to them, quite bravely, and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ And the fellow said, ‘These are mine now’,” she told 3AW hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft.
Thankfully, a firefighter at the scene noticed the commotion and alerted the police.
The cops then confronted the thieves, got the camera equipment back, and Ahern and her cameraman left the location.
“Melbourne is ‘colourful’ in the mornings and usually we can deal with the people and kind of talk them down,” Ahern continued.
“But in a live cross situation with your back turned to them, you don’t know what’s going to happen, and we had so many of them that morning.
“That’s what prompted me to tell the cameraman to be careful.”
Ahern added that she isn’t sure what happened to the thieves, telling Stevenson and Howcroft: “The cops and the fireys probably had bigger things to deal with this morning!”
Emergency services were called to Nicholson Street on Wednesday at 10.25pm after a fire engulfed several shops and a second-floor apartment.
A woman was rescued from the apartment, and the fire caused major damage in one shop before spreading to three other businesses.
Fire Rescue Victoria said the fire was under control by 11.47pm.
The fire service has launched an investigation to determine the cause.