Channel Seven reporter Alissa Ballin has opened up about the terrifying encounter with a knife-wielding man in Los Angeles that left her fearing for her life.
Ballin, who was covering the NRL season opener in the US, was minutes away from a live cross when a stranger approached her and her cameraman on Santa Monica Beach near Los Angeles around midnight in March last year.
The man accused the pair of damaging his car before suddenly producing a knife. He also had a bird perched on his shoulder, adding to the surreal nature of the confrontation.
Ballin and her cameraman remained calm as they tried to talk the man down.
‘We were ready to cross live. I had my earpiece in and was just moments away from beaming back into viewers’ living rooms,’ she told News Corp.
‘With his pet bird sitting on his shoulder, he abruptly approached my cameraman and I with a knife and threatened us and asked us to leave the area.
Channel Seven reporter Alissa Ballin (pictured with husband Matt Ballin) stayed composed after a man pulled a knife during a live broadcast
Ballin was in Los Angeles covering the NRL when a man approached her and brandished a knife
The frightening encounter happened just minutes before Ballin (pictured with her husband) was scheduled to go live on Channel Seven
‘The thought that he pulled a knife so quickly and easily made us wonder what else he was carrying.’
That terrifying confrontation made the reality of working overseas hit hard.
‘We were simply naive,’ Ballin said.
‘This is a great city but it’s a dangerous city after dark if you get off the bright lights in isolated areas.’
The standoff lasted several minutes but felt like much longer. Eventually, the man backed away, and Ballin was able to proceed with her cross.
Viewers at home had no idea the drama had unfolded just moments earlier.
‘I’m just relieved we came out in one piece,’ she said.
Highlighting her composure under incredible duress, Ballin quietly whispered into her mic, ‘He’s got a knife, he’s got a knife,’ hoping studio producers would hear.
Alissa regularly interviews players and coaches while covering State of Origin events – including her husband Matt Ballin (pictured together)
Her poise under pressure has since been praised by Channel Seven executives, and police later tracked down the man.
Another Australian news crew in California was also involved in a frightening incident that same week.
A separate TV journalist and their crew were cornered by three vehicles during a shoot in Westlake Village.
They feared for their lives until one crew member made a phone call that appeared to scare off the suspects.
‘It was the most terrifying experience of my life, I genuinely thought I was going to die,’ the reporter said.
Away from the spotlight, Ballin’s personal life is deeply rooted in rugby league.
Her husband is former Manly Sea Eagles star and current Queensland State of Origin assistant coach Matt Ballin, who debuted in the NRL in 2007, playing more than 200 games and winning premierships in 2008 and 2011.
He also represented Queensland in 2010 and later joined the Wests Tigers before retiring in 2017.
Matt Ballin played a single State of Origin match in the absence of the injured Cameron Smith and is currently a Maroons assistant coach
Footy plays a central role in the Ballin household and the couple’s professional lives
‘Last season, when it was announced he would succeed Cameron Smith as Maroons assistant coach, I was fortunate enough to present that story on air that night,’ Alissa said.
She also hosted Queensland’s State of Origin launch, interviewing Matt on a panel alongside Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston.
‘Every now and then, he appears in some of the stories I present and report on at work,’ she said.
Their shared love of footy runs deep.
‘We both watch every single game of footy across every weekend,’ she said.
‘It would be strange for anything else to be on our TV at home other than footy.’
However, the couple have found a healthy boundary between work and home.
‘There’s an unspoken respect between us, where I don’t ask questions about the inner workings of his footy club, and he doesn’t tell,’ she said.
During State of Origin camps, Matt is fully immersed in his role.
‘Origin is a huge time and emotional commitment,’ Alissa said.
‘Matt puts in so much time and effort to help prepare the Qld players to play their best.’
She revealed Matt took the game one loss hard after NSW crushed the Maroons at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
‘But it’s those losses that drive him,’ she said.
After Queensland’s gritty Game Two win, Matt was visibly more at ease.
‘He was more satisfied because he knows how much it means to all Queenslanders.’
