A woman has revealed that she had a haunting encounter with a man she believes was the Sydney mall attacker weeks before the tragedy.

On Saturday (April 13), New South Wales Police were called to Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction at 3:20PM following reports that multiple people had been stabbed.

Hundreds of shoppers were hiding inside storerooms, as a suspect, identified as Joel Cauchi, was wielding what onlookers described as a "big blade," as reported by The Guardian.

The terrifying incident, which claimed the lives of six people, ended after a lone police officer tracked the 40-year-old man through the Sydney mall before shooting him dead.

The heartbreaking incident took place at Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty

It has been reported that Cauchi fatally stabbed six victims inside the shopping center. Numerous others were also critically injured in the ordeal, including a nine-month-old baby.

The victims were Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, and Yixuan Cheng, who is believed to be in her 20s.

The only man killed in the attack was security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene.

A paramedic moves a stretcher outside Westfield Bondi Junction after an attack in the mall left six dead. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Two weeks before the tragic incident, a woman named Julie revealed in a post obtained by News.com.au that she had a chilling encounter with the suspected attacker while she was visiting Kennards storage located in inner Sydney’s Waterloo.

Julie said that she was driving when she noticed a vehicle following her from her rearview mirror. She then began to have a strange feeling after noticing that the same car had also come inside the storage facility and followed her down to the area where her unit was located.

When the woman parked, the man's car kept driving past and returned to the entrance. "I thought why would you come down here? To then park where you came in," she wrote.

Feeling worried about the situation, Julie reached for a pocket knife and suddenly heard a male voice next to her say: "Hey." She then turned around and saw a dark-haired figure but they immediately backed up when they noticed that she had a knife in her hand.

According to Julie, the man said he thought she was someone else before walking away. "I don’t buy it. He saw my face when I walked past, and then came back when he knew I was alone," she remarked.

Julie then informed the receptionist team about the encounter, to which they examined the security footage and confirmed that the driver who followed her into the building was the man who approached her.

"The storage unit and the police both said there was nothing they could do as he didn’t hurt me. It was just suspicious, not even a phone call to ask him questions," she said.

Julie disclosed that she was "terrified" by the incident and couldn’t stop thinking about what the person's intentions were. "Why was he coming towards me so fast when I’m alone? And lastly, if I didn’t coincidentally have a weapon, would I be okay today?" she asked.

After last weekend's horrific events, Julie shared a follow-up post stating that her experience made her feel like the "system is severely broken," and added that she was "heartbroken" for the victims and their loved ones.

"We are not safe, and we need to protect ourselves," she concluded.

People paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the brutal attack. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty

While Cauchi's motive has not yet been revealed, police commissioner Karen Webb confirmed investigators would look at whether the man had been targeting women and children specifically.

"The videos (of the attack) speak for themselves don’t they," Webb said, as cited by CNN. "It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to the detectives that that seems to be an area of interest, that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men."

"We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him," she added, per BBC News.

Authorities warned the investigation could take weeks as police will interview witnesses and follow different lines of inquiry.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of all victims.

Featured image credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty

A woman has revealed that she had a haunting encounter with a man she believes was the Sydney mall attacker weeks before the tragedy.

On Saturday (April 13), New South Wales Police were called to Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction at 3:20PM following reports that multiple people had been stabbed.

Hundreds of shoppers were hiding inside storerooms, as a suspect, identified as Joel Cauchi, was wielding what onlookers described as a "big blade," as reported by The Guardian.

The terrifying incident, which claimed the lives of six people, ended after a lone police officer tracked the 40-year-old man through the Sydney mall before shooting him dead.

The heartbreaking incident took place at Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty

It has been reported that Cauchi fatally stabbed six victims inside the shopping center. Numerous others were also critically injured in the ordeal, including a nine-month-old baby.

The victims were Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, and Yixuan Cheng, who is believed to be in her 20s.

The only man killed in the attack was security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene.

A paramedic moves a stretcher outside Westfield Bondi Junction after an attack in the mall left six dead. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Two weeks before the tragic incident, a woman named Julie revealed in a post obtained by News.com.au that she had a chilling encounter with the suspected attacker while she was visiting Kennards storage located in inner Sydney’s Waterloo.

Julie said that she was driving when she noticed a vehicle following her from her rearview mirror. She then began to have a strange feeling after noticing that the same car had also come inside the storage facility and followed her down to the area where her unit was located.

When the woman parked, the man's car kept driving past and returned to the entrance. "I thought why would you come down here? To then park where you came in," she wrote.

Feeling worried about the situation, Julie reached for a pocket knife and suddenly heard a male voice next to her say: "Hey." She then turned around and saw a dark-haired figure but they immediately backed up when they noticed that she had a knife in her hand.

According to Julie, the man said he thought she was someone else before walking away. "I don’t buy it. He saw my face when I walked past, and then came back when he knew I was alone," she remarked.

Julie then informed the receptionist team about the encounter, to which they examined the security footage and confirmed that the driver who followed her into the building was the man who approached her.

"The storage unit and the police both said there was nothing they could do as he didn’t hurt me. It was just suspicious, not even a phone call to ask him questions," she said.

Julie disclosed that she was "terrified" by the incident and couldn’t stop thinking about what the person's intentions were. "Why was he coming towards me so fast when I’m alone? And lastly, if I didn’t coincidentally have a weapon, would I be okay today?" she asked.

After last weekend's horrific events, Julie shared a follow-up post stating that her experience made her feel like the "system is severely broken," and added that she was "heartbroken" for the victims and their loved ones.

"We are not safe, and we need to protect ourselves," she concluded.

People paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the brutal attack. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty

While Cauchi's motive has not yet been revealed, police commissioner Karen Webb confirmed investigators would look at whether the man had been targeting women and children specifically.

"The videos (of the attack) speak for themselves don’t they," Webb said, as cited by CNN. "It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to the detectives that that seems to be an area of interest, that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men."

"We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him," she added, per BBC News.

Authorities warned the investigation could take weeks as police will interview witnesses and follow different lines of inquiry.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of all victims.

Featured image credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty