Three teenage girls have been arrested in Jersey City, New Jersey, in connection with an acid attack that left six women with non-life-threatening injuries, including skin burns and peeling. The suspects, aged 13, 14, and 15, were apprehended on June 16 and June 17, according to a spokesperson for the Jersey City Department of Public Safety.
The incident occurred on June 15 near Wilkinson Avenue when the alleged assailants approached the victims and threw a substance believed to be sulfuric acid at them. Officials indicated that the attack appears to have been targeted and may have originated from a prior dispute. The suspects, whose identities have not been released, have each been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/bodily injury, illegal weapons possession, risking injury, and conspiracy.
Four of the six victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment. One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was admitted to a hospital burn unit and is being treated for second-degree burns to her face and scalp. The other three victims were teenagers.
Authorities stated that the women were in their car when the suspects rode by on a moped and allegedly sprayed the acid. Sulfuric acid is described as a corrosive chemical that can cause severe burns and tissue damage upon contact with skin or mucous membranes.
This incident follows a similar acid attack case in Brooklyn, where a 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly orchestrating an assault on his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors stated that the substance used in that attack was determined to be 70% sulfuric acid.