A Georgia woman suffers severe burns in a chemical attack at a Savannah park

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia woman has been hospitalized with severe burns after someone poured a corrosive chemical onto her head while she was walking at a public park in Savannah, the victim’s son and a close friend said Friday.

Savannah police confirmed they are searching for a suspect in the chemical attack at Forsyth Park, one of the historic city’s landmark green spaces that attracts runners, picnickers, playing children and sightseeing tourists. Police said the woman appears to have been attacked by a stranger.

The victim, 46-year-old Ashley Wasielewski, was being treated for second- and third-degree burns at a burn center in Augusta, her son, Westley Wasielewski, told The Associated Press. He said the injuries cover roughly half her body, including her scalp, face, hands and legs.

“We don’t know who did it,” he said. “She doesn’t have any enemies. She is a friend to everyone.”

Westley Wasielewski said his mother was walking laps at the park on Wednesday night after attending a Christmas program at a nearby church. He found out about the attack in a call from a bystander who came to his mother’s aid. He said he could hear her agonized screams over the phone.

From her hospital bed, Ashley Wasielewski told family and friends she was walking the sidewalk along the park’s perimeter when she noticed a shadow from someone approaching her from behind. She was turning to face the person when he poured some liquid over her head, said Connor Milam, a close friend.

“She was instantly like, `Why are you pouring water on me?’ And then her skin started to burn,” said Milam, who has been at the burn unit with her friend. “She looked down and her pants were starting to burn off her body. She started screaming.”

Savannah police spokesman Neil Penttila said Friday that detectives are working with the FBI to identify the chemical used in the attack. Wasielewski’s son said investigators told the family it was so corrosive that it melted the key fob to his mother’s car that was in her pocket.

Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther said officers have been conducting extra patrols at parks throughout Savannah since the attack. No arrests had been announced by Friday afternoon.

Police said they were seeking a person of interest and released a security camera image of a man wearing what appeared to be a dark hoodie with a large cartoon rabbit on the front. Police said in a social media post that the man was “not currently a suspect in any crime.”

“Our Police Department is treating this case with the highest urgency,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said in a Facebook post. He added: “While this attack is deeply troubling, there is currently no information indicating a broader or ongoing threat to the public.”

Police did not name Wasielewski as the victim. Her son and Milam both said she wanted to share her story in hopes that people would come forward with information that helps police make an arrest.

Milam described her friend as a giving person who volunteered at a local nature center and packed grocery bags with snacks, toiletries and other essentials to give to homeless people. She said those close to Wasielewski are shocked and baffled by the attack.

“They didn’t rob her. They didn’t take anything from her,” Milam said. “This was a random person in the park who went out of their way to disfigure another human being.”