There was little hesitation among the Kiwis caught up in the aftermath of the Melbourne car attack yesterday that fear for their personal safety came to the forefront of their minds.
"I had that running through my head yesterday when I was walking home, I just kept looking over my shoulder because of what happened," Rotorua-born Melbourne resident Dennis Low said.
"It just puts you on edge, and it's pretty scary when you're walking and thinking about it.
"It does make you think twice about where you're walking, and 'am I going to be safe'. But, yeah, it was pretty bad."
At 4.45pm Melbourne time yesterday, a 32-year-old man drove a white 4WD down tram tracks on the busy Flinders St, deliberately mowing down pedestrians, leaving three critical and more than a dozen injured in hospital.
Staff in restaurants surrounding the busy intersection of Flinders St and Elizabeth St in the Melbourne CBD also ran to witness the chaotic scenes following the attack.
"Yesterday about 50 police officers just running down the street there, so we followed, went down to the end of Flinders St, and just absolute carnage down there, a few bodies on the ground" New Zealand man and Melbourne barista Justin Opai said.
Asked if the scenes were terrifying Mr Opai said: "What I saw, yes, but everything was looked after, there were police everywhere."
Malak Singh was a chef at a nearby cafe and described the scene as the most horrible moment of his life.
A witness describes the scenes of injured pedestrians lying on the Melbourne city streets after a car struck 19 pedestrians. (Source: Other)
"I was crossing through the road and the car came, and everyone was on the floor, I saw everyone lying on the floor, so the road was closed, people screaming. That was the most horrible moment I've ever seen in my life," Mr Singh said.
"That was horrible, I've never seen anything like that before."
A four-year-old boy with head injuries and a critically injured 83-year-old man are among 19 people hurt in the incident, while the driver, an Australian citizen of Afghan descent with a history of mental health and drug problems, remains in hospital under police guard.
One New Zealander was among the 19 injured.
The alleged driver was arrested by an off-duty police officer at the scene.
Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton says the driver is known to police.
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