Footage of the chilling moment a woman was stabbed at random inside a Melbourne shopping centre, allegedly by a teenager on bail, has emerged.

Police allege a childcare worker was on her way to work when she was stabbed by a 16-year-old boy at the M-City Shopping Centre in Clayton just before 8am yesterday.

CCTV footage shows the 25-year-old Mount Waverley woman walking through the centre, when a male appears from behind a wall and follows her onto an escalator.

Standing behind her, the male allegedly pulls a knife from his pocket and stabs the woman in the back.© Nine

Standing behind her, the male allegedly pulls a knife from his pocket and stabs the woman in the back.

He then ran down the escalator and allegedly fled the scene.

The woman turned around, appearing to look confused, before running up the escalator.

She remains in a serious but stable condition at The Alfred hospital.

The 16-year-old boy was arrested a short time later at a medical centre in Clayton.

He has been charged with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, assault with a weapon, possessing a controlled weapon, theft and committing an indictable offence whilst on bail.

He has been remanded to appear at a children’s court at a later date.