The woman told police that she did not know the man who attacked her Friday morning.
HOLYOKE - A 35-year-old city woman, hit in the face with a cupful of acid-like liquid Friday morning while walking her dog down Berkshire Street, suffered severe burns and is in danger of losing her eye, police said.
“She doesn’t know him, it was a random attack,” Lt. Manny Febo said of the incident, which occurred about 9 a.m. The woman has been taken by ambulance to a Boston hospital, he said.
The attacker was described as an Hispanic male, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, Febo said.
Febo said police are still searching for the cup in hopes that it might yield some usable finger prints. The woman was walking near the railroad tracks, he said.
A similar incident occurred in May when a 43-year-old city man had some kind of caustic solution thrown in is face while walking down High Street. That victim received second- and third-degree burns to his face, neck, chest and back, told
Febo said it’s not yet known if the two cases are related. “But, it’s certainly getting our attention,” he said.
The victim in that case also told police that he did not recognize his attacker. Police, at that time, said such an attack was unprecedented within the city.