ELMONT, NY (PIX11) — Long Island parents remained distraught Thursday, one year after someone tossed acid in their daughter’s face as she returned home.
No arrests have been made in the attack on Hofstra student Nafiah Ikram. The 22-year-old woman is still having nightmares of the March 17, 2021 assault. It left her legally blind in her right eye, with scars on her face, forearms and wrists.
Surveillance video captured the moment a tall man in a hoodie run up behind Ikram and threw acid in her face. He was driving a 2013 red Nissan Altima.
Ikram has a number of surgeries coming up. She can’t lift her arms. Her mom has to help her shower and dress.
The religious, Muslim family doesn’t believe the attack involved racial or religious animosity, but Ikram and her father don’t think the Nassau County Police have worked the case hard enough.
“So they really take this case very slow and uh, they did not really make us feel that they are really doing anything,” Ikram’s father said.
Nassau County Police say numerous agencies are involved in efforts to find the culprit. A spokesperson described the investigation as “intense and comprehensive.”
“So please, help us to find that animal. So please, my daughter she’s suffering every single day,” Ikram’s father said.
Ikram said she’s leaving it in the hands of God and the FBI, who are now involved in the investigation. She’s focused on school and healing.
Since the attack, Ikram has become more suspicious. But she’s back part-time as a pre-med student at Hofstra, determined to help others.
“I think I would be very inspiring to people if I continue what I wanted to do regardless of the circumstances,” she said.
There’s a GoFundMe page to help Ikram with medical expenses. There’s also a $40,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest,. If you have any information at all, call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-tips.
