A young woman has revealed what helped calm a horrific experience with a man who began acting “aggressively” towards her while she was walking alone.
Mikayla Gradara, 26, was on her daily walk along the Linear Park trail in Athelston, northeast of Adelaide, on Wednesday morning when she encountered the man.
She first saw him threatening an older woman on the road and ‘sticking his middle finger in her face’ before his attention was directed to her.
With no route to avoid the man without turning her back on him, Gradara attempted to “avoid eye contact” and keep walking, but he continued to get in her way.
She began to fear for her safety after realizing she had no way to defend herself if he threatened her with a gun.
A young woman who had a horrific experience with an ‘aggressive’ man, Mikayla Gradara (pictured), has revealed how she defused the situation
Running out of options and with the man continuing to intimidate her, Gradare decided to call Triple-Zero, begin recording the man on her phone and raise her voice.
The simple act caught the attention of a nearby group that was also walking along the path and they came to his aid.
“If there weren’t people around, I really couldn’t imagine what could have happened,” he said. The advertiser.
The man only fled the scene after the group confronted him.
She shared the incident with her followers on Instagram and said: “This should not be happening and it needs to be stopped.”
“People should be able to exercise, go out, socialize freely… without having to worry about their safety.”
‘Be aware of those around you and if you feel unsafe, call (Triple-Zero).’
Despite emerging physically unscathed from the interaction, Ms. Gradare doubts her safety when out in public.
“Now I’m back to walking the main roads,” he said, revealing that he no longer takes the Linear Park trail for fear of seeing the man or someone “lurking around.”
“I feel like I’ve been watching my back ever since, even the slightest noise sends me spinning constantly.”
Ms Gradara was on her morning walk along the Linear Park trail at Athelston (pictured) in Adelaide and loudly called Triple-Zero and caught the attention of others who came to her aid.
Sharing the incident on Instagram later that day (pictured), he said people should not fear for their safety in public.
Her social media post caught the attention of other women who shared similar experiences while walking alone.
Others told her not to “walk alone”, to which Ms Gradare responded by saying that women “should be able to feel safe going out anywhere”.
It comes after Joel Cauchi, 40, murdered five women and a man at Westfield Bondi Junction last Saturday.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it was “obvious” the killer “targeted women”.
Police viewed extensive footage of Cauchi’s movements around the mall and observed him selecting his victims.