Josh Smith speaks out after North South Motorway ‘stabbing’

The ex-soldier who stopped a mother allegedly stabbing her two sons on an Adelaide motorway says he didn’t even think about what he was doing.

When Josh Smith saw a car pulled over on the side of the North-South Motorway just before midnight on Monday, he thought there had been an accident or someone had blown a tyre.

“I wasn’t too sure what I was getting myself into,” Mr Smith, 27, said sitting in the garage of his northern suburbs home.

Then he saw the glint of something that looked like a weapon and knew something was wrong.

Police will allege what Mr Smith saw next was a woman stabbing her own children, two boys aged eight and three.

Megan Jayne Somerville, 35, of Modbury Heights, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder over the incident at the South Rd and Grand Junction Rd intersection.

She has been remanded in custody while her mental health is assessed.

“As I approached the car I seen the two young fellas on the ground,” he said. “I thought she was helping them to start with.”

Then he got closer to the scene he says he saw what he believed to be a knife.

Josh Smith with his dog Titan. Picture: Brenton Edwards

The former soldier who has now joined the Army Reserves didn’t hesitate and ran headfirst into a possible life or death situation without a second thought.

“I managed to get her away from the kids and get her to the ground and get the knife off her,” Mr Smith said.

“I had to move her away from the kids and I just basically held her down while I was talking to the kids and trying to work out how bad they were. I didn’t really think, I just did it.”

While trying to restrain Ms Somerville, Mr Smith’s attention quickly turned to the two boys lying on the road.

In that moment Mr Smith, who is expecting his first child in October, was sure they were dead.

“I was convinced when I got there that it was too late,” he said. “The kids were pretty unresponsive to start with. They were pretty groggy and in a lot of shock.

“After I picked them up and yelled at them a little bit to see if I could get a response they both stood up and gave each other a cuddle. They were pretty brave and very strong kids.”

Megan Jayne Somerville, 35, of Modbury Heights.

Megan Jayne Somerville, 35, of Modbury Heights.

He says a second passing motorist arrived soon after and called emergency services but the time he was alone on the road with the boys felt “like a lifetime”.

“I just wanted people to stop,” he said. “I didn’t know if they would. It just felt like a lifetime.

“As I was walking to the car I had my phone in my hand in case I needed to call triple-0 but then I dropped my phone … so I didn’t have it on me, I couldn’t find it to call when I was by myself,” he said.

The scene that confronted him was nothing short of horrific.

“It (blood) was everywhere,” he said. “It was all over the ground, it was all over them … they were both covered in it. I had it on my hands and my knees from where I was kneeling in it.

“It was pretty bad. They (the wounds) were all over their bodies.”

Jumpers were used to apply pressure to the boys’ wounds.

The boys have since undergone surgery and are understood to be in a stable condition.

Mr Smith said after the initial adrenaline faded, he thought: “Oh shit, what have I done.” He started ripping his shirt up to make sure he wasn’t injured.

Mr Smith said he heard Ms Somerville yell “Mummy loves you” as she was taken from the scene.

Police at the scene where the children were stabbed. Picture: 7 NEWS

“It was one of the last things she said,” he said.

At a press conference on Tuesday, police confirmed a passing motorist had stopped and intervened by disarming the woman, saying it likely saved the boys’ lives.

Other people helped detain the woman until police arrived.

“We are extremely grateful to the people that stopped and rendered assistance,” Superintendent Selena Dinning said.

“No doubt, the situation would have been much different had they not stopped. We think he was very brave in doing this and we are really pleased that he was in the right place at the right time.”

Lauded as a hero by police and members of the public, Mr Smith is just glad he could help and that the boys had survived the horrific ordeal.

“I’m pretty happy. It made the situation easier knowing I’d done the right thing, I guess,” he said.

“If any of those other dudes had been the first one there they would’ve done what I did.

“Most people want to help when they can, especially when it comes to helping kids so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

“As soon as I found out the kids were OK I was fine.

“Sometimes when you got to an accident and you call triple-0 you don’t get closure but at least I found out the kids have had surgery and I found out they’re OK and I got a lot of closure out of it.

“Hopefully they end up OK and get the help they need and end up in good care.”

Originally from Tasmania, Mr Smith was a crew commander in the defence force before leaving last month for a change of pace. He said his combat training may have played a role in helping him keep his cool.

By chance he decided to take the motorway to visit a friend in hospital where his partner of seven years and fiancée, Laura Shaw, was waiting.

If not for that choice he would have still been on the couch watching action film Mission Impossible.

“I never take that road,” he said. “I never leave the house after dark.”

Ms Shaw said as expecting parents, the incident hit close to home.

“It’s always scary to know that there are kids out there that have that (going on),” Ms Shaw, 27, said.

She said when she first received the call from Mr Smith explaining what had happened she assumed there had been a car accident.

“I was worried about him and wanted to make sure he was all right,” she said.

“I’m proud of him for doing that but making sure he was all right was the main thing and making sure he didn’t get hurt.

“The adrenaline was still pumping when he got home.”

Mr Smith managed just an hour of sleep after getting home at 3am on Tuesday but said talking to his family and friends had helped him get though.

“After a day or so I was a bit better,” he said. “I’m doing a bit better now after a couple of days of de stressing.

“I thought I gave my grandmother a heart attack.”

While the situation hasn’t fully sunk in, Mr Smith said it was a story he would share with his future child at some stage.

Ms Somerville will appear in court in December, while the children are staying elsewhere.

Originally published as Josh Smith speaks out after North South Motorway ‘stabbing’