Man faces NSW court over bulldozer rampage

A man who allegedly stole a bulldozer and destroyed a family home, forcing three people inside to run for their lives, has faced court in NSW's Hunter region.

Jamie Francis Sager, 48, arrested at a property at Teralba near Newcastle on Monday morning, is accused of a rampage that left a home and four cars destroyed and a family homeless.

Sager appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday where he faced a string of charges, including breaching an apprehended violence order and destroying with intent to endanger life.

His lawyer, Matthew Unwin, told the court his client had a number of mental health issues.

Sager did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

Police will allege Sager stole a bulldozer from a nearby mine, before driving to the Teralba property and flattening the family home moments before three occupants escaped.

He is also accused of trying to run down a 29-year-old man who was sleeping in a detached garage on the property.

A total of 17 charges have been laid, including breaching an apprehended violence order, affray, possessing a knife in public, intimidating a police officer in execution of his duty, four counts of stalking or intimidation, and destroying or damaging property with intent to endanger life.

A senior police officer on Sunday described the scene of the home as looking "like a bomb had gone off".

"There were squashed motor vehicles and downed trees, and a house that was nothing more than debris, with a bulldozer sitting in the middle of it," Lake Macquarie Local Area Command Inspector David Matthews told reporters.

The matter was adjourned until August 5.