A GROCERY store worker had been sweeping the floor before closing time when a man wielding a knife stormed in and demanded "give me all the money".
Hersh, known only by his first name to protect his safety, was emptying the dustpan behind the counter at Kahibah's Friendly Grocer just before 7.45pm on Tuesday when chaos erupted.
It was a lucky twist of fate, with dramatic CCTV footage capturing the moment the 20-year-old scuffled with the would-be robber and managed to fight him off with a broom and an iron bat stashed nearby.
"A guy came in, he was totally covered up with the mask, cap and glasses, and he also had one green-coloured plastic knife ... it was very sharp actually," Hersh told the Newcastle Herald.
He said the man was demanding cash and saying things like "give me all the money".
Hersh wanted to comply. But, he said he was scared as the man advanced on him with the knife.
"The thing is, people will think that it's brave ... it was a stupid thing that I did in the moment, but actually he didn't give me any time to take out the money," Hersh said.
"There was only one option - I had to save myself."
Hersh made the split-second decision to use the broom and reach for an iron bar shaped like a baseball bat.
"I had a little bit of a fight with him," he said.
"He was trying to stab me at the same time as well, but that didn't happen."
At one point, the employee could be seen in the footage with his arms around the man as they fought. Hersh told the Herald he believed the knife was centimetres from his stomach at times, though he luckily escaped physical injury.
Hersh said he managed to strike the knife-wielding man with the bat and he fled outside empty-handed.
Lake Macquarie police were alerted and combed the scene, and the manhunt for the offender was continuing on Wednesday.
Hersh told the Herald he only began working at the convenience store earlier this year and hoped he would never face something like that again.
He said he was doing much better the day after the ordeal and hoped police would home in on the man responsible soon.
The Kahibah Friendly Grocer IGA Facebook page posted the CCTV footage with an appeal for information in the aftermath of the attempted hold-up.
The offender could be seen wearing bright yellow pants with his face covered.
Police have urged anyone with information about the attempted armed robbery to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
