James Uhr, 27, lived in Warrnambool and Corangamite before moving to NSW and was known to Warrnambool police.

Police were on Wednesday concerned he was heading to an ex-partner in Warrnambool after being involved in a serious road rage incident involving his mother near Wollongong.

"There was thinking he could be heading this way and plans were being put in place," a police source said.

NSW police appealed for help from the public to track down Mr Uhr who was involved in a “sickening” attack in Balgownie on Wednesday morning.

His 55-year-old mother  suffered severe facial injuries after allegedly being punched in the face by her son multiple times after he rammed her car off the road.

Police were searching for Mr Uhr who left the assault scene in a stolen white 2003 Hyundai Elantra sedan with NSW registration AKB38X.

Detective Inspector Brad Ainsworth said that at 7:40am, Mr Uhr was believed to have stolen a Ford ute from a petrol station at Cringila  and headed for Wollongong.

Police attempted to pull over the vehicle, but it allegedly rammed a number of other vehicles in the North Wollongong area and sped off.

Detective Ainsworth said Mr Uhr went to Farrell Street in Balgownie, where his mother lives.

He chased her down the street as she drove away and then rammed her off the road onto a footpath.

Detective Ainsworth said Mr Uhr approached the car, opened the door and punched his mother in the head and face for about 25 seconds.

He escaped the scene in a car owned by a bystander.

Mr Uhr’s mother was hospitalised with serious facial injuries and is expected to require surgery.

“His manner of driving, to chase his mother down in the car and ram her, his efforts and actions at North Wollongong prior to that, it was lucky that only the mother was injured,” Detective Ainsworth said.

“It’s quite sickening actually and obviously quite horrific.”

Mr Uhr was found by police on Thursday morning deceased in non-suspicious circumstances.