A father who stabbed his teenage daughter in the neck before jumping to his death inside a shopping centre had been struggling to make his daughter conform to his traditional ways, family friends claim.

The 52-year-old man plunged to his death inside Chatswood Chase shopping centre, on Sydney's north shore, just after 10am on Sunday.

A short time earlier, police said he stabbed his 14-year-old daughter multiple times in the neck inside their family home.

Witnesses said the teen ran across the road to a busy park where she screamed: 'Help me, he's trying to kill me'.

Friends of the family told Daily Mail Australia there had been ongoing tensions between the girl and her parents.

Scroll down for video

Detectives arrive at the family home in Chatswood, on Sydney's north shore, where 24 hours earlier a father had stabbed his daughter in the neck

Police removed bags of evidence from the family home, including clothes and an Apple laptop

Friends and neighbours who attended the home on Monday told Daily Mail Australia there had been ongoing tensions between the girl and her parents, but they were shocked it had ended like this

'She was naughty, I guess like your typical teenage girl,' one friend said.

'But there were cultural problems, they were always fighting with her. I think it's very hard when the parents are raised in traditional Chinese ways and she goes to school and learns about western ways.'

A next door neighbour said the family mostly kept to themselves, but she too was aware of the fighting between the parents and their daughter.

'You could often hear them fighting,' they said.

'When I heard what happened thought I couldn't believe it... we are just shocked.'

The family has lived at the Nicholson St home since they purchased it for $1.7million in 2013.

Police say that after carrying out the frenzied knife attack on his daughter, the dad raced to the nearby shopping centre.

He then climbed over the railing and plunged to his death.

After being attacked by her father, the teenager ran out of her home (pictured) and across the road to a busy park where she screamed: 'Help me, he's trying to kill me'.

Police believe the man fell from the top floor of the four storey complex. He died at the scene

One woman whose parents were witnesses to the shocking incident described the horrific scene.

'My parents were at Chatswood Chase when he jumped... they said they will never forget the noise when he hit the floor,' she said.

'Such an incredibly sad series of events.

Witnesses who rushed to help the girl after the attack were able to stem the bleeding until paramedics arrived.

'My parents were at Chatswood Chase when he jumped... they said they will never forget the noise when he hit the floor,' one woman said

The teenager was taken to Sydney Children's Hospital where she is in a stable condition

She was the taken to Sydney Children's Hospital where she remains stable.

While setting up a crime scene at the family home, police were called to Chatswood Chase where they discovered the girl's father's body.

Detectives returned to the family home on Monday where they collected evidence.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.