A Georgia woman’s hair was burned off in a devastating attack after a stranger sneaked up behind her at a park and doused her with acid.
Ashley Wasielewski, 46, was walking outside of Forsyth Park in Savannah around 8.16pm on Wednesday when an unknown man ran up and poured the corrosive liquid on her.
She immediately ran across the street, screaming in agony, until help was called.
Wasielewski was treated on the scene and rushed to Memorial Hospital before being moved to a burn center in Augusta, according to the Savannah Police Department.
Photos of Wasielewski in the aftermath of the horrific incident showed her hair burned off, her face severely burned and her arm bandaged.
She was listed in stable condition with second-degree burns, according to WTOC.
Law enforcement were still searching for the acid attack’s perpetrator, whose identity remained unknown.
A photo of a man in a black hoodie featuring a cartoon rabbit was shared by police on Thursday, although he was not currently a suspect.
Ashley Wasielewski, 46, was walking outside of Forsyth Park in Savannah around 8.16pm Wednesday when an unknown man attacked her with a corrosive liquid
Wasielewski was taken to a burn center in Augusta. She is currently in stable condition with second-degree burns
‘It’s someone that we want to speak to that was in the area at the time,’ Robert Gavin, the Savannah assistant chief of police, said at a press conference Friday.
Gavin added: ‘He might have information that’s important to this case.’
He said that given the horrific nature of her injuries police had not ‘tried to sit down and get too much information’ from Wasielewski.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were helping investigate the attack.
Police said Wasielewski did not know her assailant.
Her son Westley Wasielewski said his mother had been walking laps at the park when she was attacked.
‘She doesn’t have any enemies,’ he told the Associated Press. ‘She is a friend to everyone.’
Police said Wasielewski did not know her assailant. Her son said she was walking laps at the park at the time of the acid attack
Westley added that the chemical attack had even melted his mom’s car key fob, which was in her pocket.
He could hear her screaming on the phone in pain after the liquid was poured on her head.
Wasielewski’s close friend Connor Milam recalled what she had told him from the burn center.
‘She was instantly like, ‘Why are you pouring water on me?’ And then her skin started to burn,’ Milam told the AP.
He added: ‘She looked down and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming.’
Milam pointed out that Wasielewski’s attacker had not stolen any of her possessions.
‘This was a random person in the park who went out of their way to disfigure another human being,’ he said.
Savannah police released a photo of a person of interest was ‘someone that we want to speak to that was in the area at the time.’ He is not considered a suspect
Residents were told to expect more law enforcement on foot, horseback, motorcycles and cars in the area, although police stressed that the attacker did not pose an ongoing threat to the public.
Savannah police chief Lenny B. Gunther said the increased police patrols were ‘intentional to provide visibility, reassurance, and a quick response if needed.’
He added that there was no evidence of the attack on Wasielewski being ‘part of a larger pattern,’ while urging locals to take care of one another.
Gunther asked for anyone in Forsyth Park at the time of the attack to contact law enforcement with photos and video.
‘Even a small detail may help us piece together what occurred,’ he added.
The police chief also pushed back on unfounded rumors concerning the attack.
‘We understand how quickly information, speculation and worry we can spread,’ he said. ‘That’s why we’re 100 percent committed to sharing verified updates as soon as we have them and not before. Accuracy matters.’
Savannah police chief Lenny B. Gunther said there would be an increased police presence with officers on foot, horseback, motorcycles and cars in the area after the chemical attack
Savannah mayor Van Johnson called the attack an ‘absolutely horrific incident’ and said it had ‘no place’ in the city.
A GoFundMe for Wasielewski created by her friend Kristen Oddi said the attack caused her ‘unimaginable pain’ and burns covering more than half of her body.
Oddi wrote: ‘This horrific act has not only altered the course of her life physically, but has placed an extreme and unforeseen emotional and financial burden on her.’
Wasielewski will need to undergo specialized burn treatments, skin grafts and surgeries to stabilize her condition. She will also require rehabilitation, occupational therapy and long-term support for her injuries, the fundraiser said.
About $12,500 had been raised of a $24,000 goal, as of Friday evening.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Wasielewski family and the Savannah Police Department for comment.