Hervey Bay Uber driver Julie Stephenson speaks out after teen thieves crash into her car

Two teen girls have been charged over the theft of two cars including one which allegedly smashed into an Uber driver who claims had she not swerved, she and her three passengers would have been killed.

The wreckage of Julie Stephenson's Uber car.

Two teenagers have been charged after cars were allegedly stolen from a Maryborough home and driven dangerously through Hervey Bay with one smashing into an Uber.

It comes after Uber driver Julie Stephenson told this publication about the terrifying moment her car was crushed on Tuesday night.

Ms Stephenson was already painfully aware of the ripple effect of the youth crime wave on her community when she suddenly became its latest victim in an encounter that will cost her thousands and almost cost her life.

Still reeling over the recent death of her Hervey Bay colleague Scott Cabrie, allegedly at the hands of teen car thieves, and aware the funeral of the last of three women killed in a crash caused by a 13-year-old in a stolen Mercedes had taken place that day in nearby Maryborough, Ms Stephenson headed out on Tuesday night.

With three passengers in the car, she suddenly found herself swerving to avoid a speeding silver Toyota at the corner of Shell and Elizabeth Streets in Urangan.

The car, which she believes must have been doing at least 80kms in a 50kms zone, hit the left-hand side of hers about 9.50pm.

The wreckage of Julie Stephenson's Uber car after she and three passengers were left shaken but unharmed following a crash with teen car thieves.

She said before “anybody could do anything” the teens jumped out of their car while it was still moving, leaving it to roll down the road driverless and then jumped into another similar car being driven by their hooning mates.

They were long gone before the police arrived.

“If I hadn’t swerved, nobody would have survived … we would have all become statistics,” Ms Stephenson said

“They’ve completely wrecked my car.

“They left their car running down the road, if someone had been coming the other way or walked out onto the street it would have been too late.”

Hervey Bay Uber driver Julie Stephenson wants laws changed to deter teen car thieves after she became the latest victim of a crash involving a stolen car.

A Queensland Police Spokeswoman confirmed on Friday two teenagers had since been charged.

She said police would allege the two cars were stolen from a Walker Street address around 3am on May 23.

It will be further alleged the vehicles were sighted driving dangerously throughout Maryborough and Hervey Bay, with one of the stolen vehicles involved in the Urangan crash.

She confirmed the occupants of the allegedly stolen vehicles fled the scene.

A 15-year-old girl was charged with three counts each of fraud, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle, enter premises and burglary.

A 14-year-old girl was charged with two counts each of fraud and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Both will appear before Maroochydore Children’s Court at a later date.

Social media pages like Maryborough Community on Facebook were buzzing with comments and sightings claiming teens had broken into homes, taken keys, driven off and were “making a scene down in Mary St since 5am … holding down and beeping the horn, doing doughnuts in the middle of the street (and) yelling abuse out the window”.

Another poster claimed her security cameras had captured the teens prowling her place at John St but they’d been scared off by her “vicious hub”.

In scenes which mirror those following the triple fatal at Maryborough earlier this month, where friends of the charged 13-year-old allegedly did laps in front of the Maryborough Police Station ‘taunting’ officers who were powerless to act due to pursuit laws, the two cars involved in the latest incident were also allegedly paraded in front of the same police station on Tuesday morning.

In a post on the Maryborough Community page, one man said he’d “watched them drive past the police station on Lennox St six times in the last 30 mins, called 000 to let them know they were being taunted … 7 times blowing their horn and waving a flag past the station again” while another wrote “I just rang and spoke to the Maryborough police station and they are well aware and they keep driving past the cop shop … they said it’s a complicated situation because of youth laws”.

Reach Church members 17-year-old Kelsie Davies and church pastor Michale Chandler, 29 were killed in crash, the same crash as well as 52-year-old Hervey Bay nurse Sheree Robertson.

These claims were put to the Queensland Police Service but not addressed in the response which said investigations were continuing.

Ms Stephenson said something had to be done to deter fearless teen car thieves from running rampant and protect innocent people.

Her comments are in line with those of grieving families across the state including relatives of Maryborough’s Michale Chandler who issued a heartbreaking graveside plea at the cemetery where she was buried on Tuesday following the crash which also claimed the lives of her 17-year-old friend Kelsie Davies and Hervey Bay nurse Sheree Robertson.

“It’s crazy … it’s got to stop,” Ms Stephenson said

‘I’ve lost my income – I could have died, others have.

“We’re all paying for it.”