A beauty salon worker was freed by a co-worker after an intruder grabbed her by the hair, the business' owner says.
The worker, who had been employed only for a week, was helped by a fellow staff member in a Tuesday night incident that left staff at Cameo-Skin, Body, Beauty "incredibly shaken".
Owner Kim Krekeler said a man had been seen in a nearby car park where a vehicle had been broken into.
Shortly after, a man came into the business.
"Then he came down the hallway and grabbed a staff member by her hair and uniform and dragged her down the hallway, out the back door."
The staff member pulled the co-worker free.
"It all happened in a blur and it was very brave of her."
Police made an arrest after tracking two iPhones that were taken from the salon.
"We are all terribly shaken, I mean no one expects something like this to happen."
Police confirmed the arrest of a 29-ear-old man shortly after the incident.
A spokesman said the man was arrested, and charged with breach of bail, burglary, theft of a car, assaulting a person with a blunt instrument and demanding to steal.
The man appeared in the Hastings District Court on Wednesday and was granted interim name suppression.
He was remanded in custody to appear at the Hastings District Court on November 23.