BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (PIX11) –At seven months pregnant with her third child, 34-year-old Jannatul Ferdous says she was heading to a local pharmacy with a friend when it happened.
A surveillance video from a nearby home picked up a man walking right up to Ferdous and for no reason at all striking her down on Monroe Street.
Ferdous doesn’t speak much English and spoke to PIX11 in her native language of Bengali.
“He didn’t say anything,” Ferdous said. “A man was walking toward us and then he just hit me.”
Ferdous described being hit with an open hand, then losing consciousness.
“Here and on my nose,” Ferdous said. “This whole side was swollen. It was black and blue.”
Nasrin Akter, Ferdous’ friend who was with her, said she’s shocked.
“I heard it. She and I were walking right next to one another,” Akter recalled. “I heard the sound. I screamed … She fell to the ground.”
Akter says Ferdous was hit hard, falling to the ground and hitting her head on the sidewalk.
“She was lying on the ground and this guy was standing there laughing after he hit her,” Akter said. “I was just so scared for the baby.”
Thankfully, Ferdous’ unborn child is OK, according to her doctors.
And more good news?
Thanks to quick-thinking officers who radioed a description of the suspect, 33-year-old Willie Stephens was caught.
Stephens was identified by Akter and has been charged with felony assault.
Despite her attacker being in custody, Ferdous still insisted on not showing her face. She said she’s still shaken by the ordeal.
“I’m nervous to go out now. I’m scared to leave the house.”
