A reality television star has shared her experience of the terrifying Bondi Beach shooting, which erupted while she was casually picking up food in her pajamas on Sunday.

Lauren Dunn, known from the 2024 season of “Married At First Sight,” had recently settled in Bondi, becoming a familiar face in the neighborhood.

The 37-year-old recounted to the Daily Mail on Sunday night how her comfort with the area led her to step out in her nightwear for a quick food run from her apartment, thinking it would be just another relaxing Sunday evening.

However, the serene beachside atmosphere was shattered by the sound of gunfire.

Initially, Lauren mistook the noises for a car backfiring, a common occurrence as modified cars often rev down Campbell Parade, creating similar sounds.

‘Then people started running and screaming, and the police shouted for everyone to get inside,’ a tearful Lauren told Daily Mail. 

A reality star has detailed how she was picking up food from a local eatery while dressed in pyjamas when the first shots rang out in the Bondi Beach terror attack on Sunday. Pictured: Lauren Dunn

Lauren said she ‘ran for her life’ and saw dozens of people fleeing from a festival on the beach where there ‘were children petting fluffy animals’ just minutes earlier. 

While the blogger made it to her apartment and out of harm’s way, some of her friends were not so lucky. 

She wept as she described how a group chat she shares with friends was filled with videos from the scene showing ‘dead bodies everywhere’. 

In the immediate aftermath, as she watched from her balcony, Lauren said helicopters circled the beach making announcements warning citizens to stay indoors on a loudspeaker as the entire area was locked down. 

Dozens of police boats on the water were likewise hoarding locals away – but despite this, Lauren said she could still see ‘people just walking around’ in the confusion. 

Within an hour of the tragedy unfolding, Lauren received a message from a social media troll who said he hoped that she had been one of the victims shot dead. 

The reality star blamed ‘these incel men’ for acts of violence like that which occurred at Bondi Beach on Sunday. 

‘It’s so disgusting, it’s people just living their lives. I can’t believe this has happened here,’ she said. 

Lauren said she ‘ran for her life’ and saw dozens of people fleeing from a festival on the beach where there ‘were children petting fluffy animals’ just minutes earlier

‘In the US, you see it every week. You don’t ever expect to see it in Bondi.’ 

Sixteen people, including children, are dead after two gunmen armed with rifles opened fire at Bondi Beach where a Jewish holiday celebration was unfolding on Sunday afternoon.

Witnesses said two men stepped out of a vehicle on Campbell Parade, near Bondi Pavilion, and opened fire about 6.40pm on Sunday with footage showing blast after blast on the tourist strip. Some witnesses report more than 30 shots.

Video and photos taken by a Daily Mail photographer show a gunman opening fire from an elevated bridge using a large rifle.

One gunman has been shot dead. The second shooter is in critical condition.

One of the two men has been identified as Naveed Akram after police raided his Western Sydney home.

A festival, Chanukah by the Sea, advertised as a night of family fun, was taking place, with children attending the event when the gunmen opened fire.

Up to 25 injured people, including two police officers, have been taken to various hospitals in Sydney.

Sixteen people, including children, are dead after two gunmen armed with rifles opened fire at Bondi Beach where a Jewish holiday celebration was unfolding on Sunday afternoon 

NSW Police are urging people to avoid the area, with an exclusion zone in place.

It was also confirmed late on Sunday evening that a number of suspicious items had been found in the vicinity of the incident, including an improvised explosive device.

The items are being examined by specialist officers.

Police are also believed to be raiding an address in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s west following the attack.

Kirk Gehri, a local who was at Depot in Bondi when the shooting took place, said that it was chaos.

‘They were just shooting openly at that bridge,’ he said.

‘I saw some people were running away when I first arrived.’

Jewish federal MP Julian Leeser said the shooting was a ‘terror attack’.