Madison, Wisconsin police launched an investigation for hate crimes after a biracial African-American woman said a group of white men sprayed her with lighter fluid and set her on fire.
Althea Bernstein, 18, told investigators she was detained at a stoplight in the city around 1 a.m.Wednesday when she heard someone yell a racial slur through her rolled-up window, according to a report from the department’s incident. policeman.
“He looked and saw four men, all white. He says one used a spray bottle to spread a liquid on his face and neck, and then threw a burning lighter at him, causing the liquid to catch fire,” the report says.
Bernstein was able to put out the flames and then drove home. Her mother told her to go to the hospital, where she was told that the liquid was believed to be a lighter fluid.
A photo obtained by NBC affiliate WMTV in Madison shows injuries to Bernstein’s neck and side.
Family spokesman Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, said Bernstein was driving to a friend’s house when the men started yelling the N word and then attacked her while she was at a stoplight in Red.
Bernstein suffered second and third degree burns and will require more medical treatment, he told NBC News in a phone interview on Friday.
“She is experiencing trauma right now, but from what happened to her, she is better,” he said, calling her a strong young woman.
The family is focusing on Bernstein’s health and recovery. In a statement issued by Johnson, they said they are “saddened by what happened to Althea and the unprovoked attack on her body.”
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she spoke to the Bernstein family and called the alleged attack “horrible and absolutely unacceptable.”
“While we are still learning more about the details, current information suggests that this may have been a premeditated crime directed at people of color, making the incident even more disturbing,” he wrote in a statement.
“Everyone in Madison deserves to feel safe, and it is up to each of us to make that happen. We must show kindness and compassion to each other, and we must care about the safety and well-being of those around us.” “
Joel DeSpain, a police spokesman, said Friday that detectives are checking surveillance cameras to see if they captured the incident. So far, no arrests have been made.
Johnson said Bernstein does not know the men and, despite what he has suffered, has forgiven them.
“He was telling me that he actually forgives people who have done this to him and hopes that they will bring their lives together,” he said.
