Nafiah Fatima, a 21-year-old Pakistani woman, suffered serious burns to her face, eyes, stomach, and arms following an acid attack on her Elmont home on Arlington Avenue in the United States.
Fatima and her mother left their car outside their house on March 17. They were about to enter when an anonymous man approached her and poured acid in her face. The event was captured on video by a nearby house monitor.
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The entire incident was caught on the surveillance camera of a friend, Shazia Anjum, who later organized a GoFundMe campaign for her. Anjum posted a 42-second video of Fatima unloading the car with her mother and following her inside before being assaulted just feet away from her front entrance.
Anjum claimed on the GoFundMe page that they later learned the chemical was “a dark brown acid believed to cause blindness and serious burns.” She said the intruder was aware of the threat. He was wearing gloves at the time and said that Fatima, a Hofstra University student, almost died as a result of the harrowing experience.
“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.”