Ten minutes. That’s all it took for the lives of families and friends happily gathered at the beach on a balmy Sunday evening to change forever.
For many attending the Chanukah by the Sea festival at Bondi on December 14, 2025, memories of the day will forever be split in two: there was the joy and laughter that rang out before that fateful 10-minute window, and the agonising aftermath once terror had been unleashed.
At 6.45pm two black-clad gunmen – alleged to be Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram – exited a car on Bondi’s famous beachfront strip, Campbell Parade.
What happened next left at least 16 people dead and 42 injured.
The killers opened fire from a pedestrian bridge overlooking the park where the community had gathered to mark the start of Hanukkah.
As the thud of gunfire pierced the evening air, victims fell to the ground and everyday heroes sprung into action.
The woman who became a human shield
Dad-of-three Wayne and his wife Vanessa were two of those caught up in the horror. The couple were in separate places as the sound of gunfire rang out and managed to make phone contact.
But they quickly realised that while they each had one child with them, their third child – three-year-old Gigi – was nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t know how I didn’t get hit. There were bullets all around me,” Vanessa told Sky News.
“All I can do is scream: ‘Where is my family? Where’s my little girl? Where’s my little girl?’
“I saw her dancing for a second and she was gone.”
Vanessa witnessed a man in front of her die, explaining “his brain exploded right next to me”.
It was only once the shooting stopped, that she and her husband were able to search for their little girl.
“I went, I was looking, there was just blood and bodies everywhere and she was wearing a pink skirt and I saw this lady lying on top of her,” Wayne told Sky News of what he saw.
The woman, Jess, had been shot, but she managed to tell the terrified dad, “I’ve got your daughter, I’ve been protecting her”.
“I said, ‘You’ve saved my daughter’s life’. I said, ‘I’ll be indebted to you for the rest of my life’,” Wayne explained, adding Jess was taken to hospital and said she was okay.
The shop owner who disarmed a killer
Extraordinary footage showed the moment hero bystander Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Sutherland shop owner, tackled one of the Bondi Beach attackers, wrestling his gun from his grasp in the process.
Dad-of-two Ahmed was shot twice during the incident, which saw him rush from a hiding spot by a parked car to tackle the gunman from behind by getting him in a headlock.
A struggle ensued, but Ahmed was able to get hold of the gun, which he pointed at the gunman who retreated back towards the footbridge where his accomplice was still shooting.
Ahmed, 42, then placed the gun against a tree.
Ahmed was seen in footage later shared to social media, suffering from what appeared to be a wound to his leg, although he seemed coherent.
“He’s in hospital and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” his cousin Mustafa later told 7NEWS.
“We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”
It’s believed he underwent surgery and is in a stable condition.
As news of Ahmed’s actions spread, a fruit shop in Sutherland was forced to issue a clarification, after receiving a flood of posts from wellwishers.
“There has been a miscommunication … on where this great Australian hero’s fruit shop location is,” Sutherland Best Fresh wrote on Facebook.
“We do not know who Ahmed is, nor the location of his fruit shop. We congratulate this hero and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Ahmed’s actions also garnered praise from US president Donald Trump, who described him as “a very brave person.”.
Meanwhile, Jewish investment banker Bill Ackman, who is worth more than $9.5 billion, also said he wanted to reward him.
A GoFundMe which was set up by Car Hub Australia, with the title “Support the Hero Who Disarmed a Bondi Attacker”, raised more than $2 million within days.
The lifeguards who sprung into action
Bondi Rescue star Jackson Doolan was captured on camera sprinting barefoot to the scene of the Bondi massacre in a bid to help save lives in the aftermath.
Fellow star Andy ‘Reidy’ Reid shared the poignant image, which showed Jackson racing down an eerily deserted Campbell Parade, to his own social media page.
“7pm yesterday in Bondi – Lifeguard Jacko running over from Tamarama with medical equipment to back up Lifeguards, Clubbies. Police, Ambos and other everyday heroes who tried to save people during yesterday’s horrific attack,” Reidy wrote.
“I can’t even begin to imagine what you all had to witness and deal with, but you are all the most incredible people.
“I’m grateful we live in a world where you exist to show that kindness will always conquer evil. Thank you.”
Jackson, meanwhile, shared his own message.
“Appreciate all the messages. I’m safe and all of the lifeguards are safe – speechless, well done to everyone involved in helping out,” he wrote.
Fellow lifeguard Trent Falson also took to Instagram in the aftermath of the attack to share an image of his fellow lifeguards returning back to their tower after doing what they could to aid victims.
“A moment in time we’ll never forget. Our hearts go out to the Jewish community and our much loved Bondi community,” he wrote.
“As we walked back to the tower quietly numb last night after doing all we could, I was astounded by what I saw my teammates, police, paramedics, local volunteer agencies, off duty doctors and bystanders do to try and preserve life. These may be chaotic and turbulent times but humanity is still strong.”
It emerged that as the terror attack was unfolding in Bondi, another lifeguard had saved a tourist from drowning off the beach.
“Shout out to the #bondi beach lifeguard who, while there was shots being fired and we were all ducking for cover behind their buggy, noticed someone in the water struggling so grabbed a board and went to rescue them,” a witness posted to X.
The man who died a hero
Reuven Morrison died trying to keep others safe amid the Bondi Beach massacre, his best friend revealed.
Reuven, who was an assistant at Bondi’s Wellington Street synagogue, was at the Hanukkah event with his friend Vladimir when the gunmen opened fire.
“I saw everything and now my best friend is dead. He died in front of me,” Vladimir told Daily Mail in the aftermath of the attack.
Vladimir had been walking away from the park to find a place to park his car when he heard the shots.
“People started running and I looked up and saw the guy shooting from the bridge above towards the Chanukah area,” Vladimir explained.
“I stood up and walked towards the guy on the bridge. He pointed his rifle at me and then waved his hand as if to say ‘stay away’. ‘I think he thought I wasn’t with the Chanukah event. But I am Jewish.”
Vladimir explained that as more firing took place, Reuven got hit.
“He was trying to get people to get down out of the way and then maybe disarm the shooter on the ground, he was walking towards him to fight him,” he explained.
“But then he was shot – hit in the kidneys, I think. I was there when he died.”
“He’s a hero. He died a hero trying to save his community and it cost him his life,” Vladimir added.
“If only I didn’t leave earlier, he might be still alive.”
