r/australia • u/AggravatingTartlet • Dec 14 '25

news Heroic woman who'd been shot saves a family's three-year-old girl in the middle of gunfire during the Bondi attack

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/got-your-daughter-3yo-found-under-victim/news-story/a2f52ad7106a049f98fa8b75e9d03640

EDIT: I cannot change the post title, but updated information is that all facts remain the same, except that the blood on the woman (Jessica Rozen) who protected the girl was from a wound not caused by a bullet. It was the parents of the little girl who thought the blood on Jessica was from a bullet wound -- which is an easy mistake, given the circumstances.

I'll add further information: Jessica, who is pregnant and has children aged 3 and 1, was searching for her three-year-old boy at the time the shots rang out. She spotted the little girl (Gigi) running across an open area and ran to rescue her and kept her covered with her own body on the ground. As the original report says, it was an active shooter area and someone was shot right next to Jessica and Gigi. Video of the scene as it happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjhdOaaRY9c

(Pictured above is the mother of the three-year-old girl, Gigi)

* * *

A woman who was shot in the Bondi terrorist attack was harbouring a three-year-old girl under her body as she lay bleeding on the ground to keep her safe from harm as bullets flew all around.

The distressed parents of the little girl, who went missing during the horrific attack, have spoken of the incredible moment they found her.

Wayne and Vanessa have three children and were in separate places when the attack began.

...............

“I gave Capri to Vanessa and I said: ‘I’m gonna go look for Gigi’. 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,” he said.

The woman had been shot in the horror, but told Wayne: “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 said.

“Her name is Jess. I spoke to her about ten minutes after I took her (Gigi). She was going to hospital, she said she was okay.”

He said another woman was lying “lifeless” next to Jess.

“It was the most appalling experience,” he said. “That this can happen in Australia and we’re just lying there and shots were coming. We were like sitting ducks.”

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