A 21-year-old Pakistani student, Nafiah Fatima, suffered severe burns to her face, eyes, chest, and arms after the acid attack on her Elmont home on Arlington Avenue in US.
On March 17, Fatima and her mother parked their car outside their house. They were about to walk inside when an unknown man ran up to her and threw acid on her face. Footage of the incident was caught on a neighboring house camera.
The entire encounter was captured on a neighbor, Shazia Anjum’s security camera who later organized a GoFundMe page for her. In the 42-second clip shared by Anjum, Fatima can be seen unloading the car with her mom and following her inside before being attacked just feet away from her front door.
On the GoFundMe page, Anjum stated that they later discovered the substance was “a dark brown acid known to cause blindness and severe burning”. She claimed the attacker knew how dangerous it was. He was wearing gloves at the time and noted that Fatima, who is a student at Hofstra University, nearly died after the terrifying encounter.
“Had the acid gotten into Nafiah’s lungs she would have died. When Nafiah screamed it caused the acid to go into her mouth, burning her tongue and throat, which prevented her from breathing,” Anjum explained.
“When Nafiah ran into her house and her parents saw her, they immediately tried to help her. But in the process, the acid burned their hands and forearms as well,” Anjum added. “If her parents were not home to help her and call 911 right away she would not have made it.”
Here is the acid attack footage
Following the incident, police said Fatima sustained “serious physical injuries” and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Her injuries included “severe burning” to her face, eyes, chest and arms, according to the GoFundMe.
“Nafiah was wearing contact lenses that night and the acid melted the contact lenses onto her eyes,” Anjum continued. “We don’t know if Nafiah will ever regain vision again.” At this time, it does not appear that police have identified the suspect behind the assault or a reason for the attack.
On Saturday, Anjum launched the GoFundMe page and has been asking for donations to help Fatima and her family with the growing expenses from the incident. So far, the page has raised more than $300,000. Your contribution would mean the world to her!
“Your donation will pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance, home security, legal fees, and loss of income as Nafiah and her mother are out of work during this time,” Anjum wrote. “Nafiah has stayed incredibly strong throughout this horrific event. Nafiah’s only wish is that the attacker is caught so that she can feel safe in her own home.”
Also, remember the hero rickshaw driver who lost his eyes to an acid attack while saving two women from harassers? He needs you now!
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