Philadelphia grandmother blinded in random acid attack

61-year-old Helen Jones was leaving her home in the Philadelphia’s Germantown section during the early morning of Oct. 6 when an unknown male assailant doused her with what fire officials later determined was chlorosulfuric acid, police said.

Helen Jones attacked with acid in Philadelphia

“There was a man there and he was like, ‘Hey, are you good?’ As if he was inquiring about her safety, making sure she was OK,” Jones’ daughter, Aneesha Summerville, told Philadelphia 6ABC.

“And when she looked up to say yes, he threw the stuff in her face and ran off.”

Jones, who suffered burns to her nose, mouth, eyes and throat, was rushed to a local hospital in serious condition.

Police the motive in the attack was unclear.

Suspect

Authorities say the suspect was a man with dark skin and a medium build who was wearing a light knit hat with a blue mask.

No arrests had been made, police said.

Helen Jones is traumatized by the acid attack

Summerville, who lives in Maryland, said her mother works as a phlebotomist and was headed to her job at a nursing home when she was attacked.

Doctors have since told Summerville that her mother is blind and it’s unclear if she’ll regain her vision, WPVI reported.

“They couldn’t tell us if she would get her vision back or not,” Summerville said.

Jones didn’t know her attacker, but could likely identify him even though he was wearing a mask that covered his nose and mouth at the time, her daughter said.

“It was totally unexpected,” Summerville continued. “She saw his eyes. If she was able to see him again, she would know his eyes.”

Summerville says her mother has been traumatized by the chemical attack. She hopes someone will step forward with information that will help police catch the man who targeted her mother.

“I just hope somebody comes forward so justice can be done for her,” she said