Police In Wisconsin Investigating Hate Crime After 4 White Men Throw Lighter Fluid & Flames At Black Woman
Police in Madison, Wisconsin are investigation a hate crime after an 18-year-old black woman reported that four white men threw lighter fluid and flames at her while sitting at a red light.
While protests and rioters took over the state Capitol Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, a few blocks away Althea Bernstein was attacked at a red light. She told police that around 1 a.m. on Wednesday she heard someone yelling out racial slurs and soon saw four white men. As they approached, one sprayed liquid in her face and neck, then proceeded to throw a flaming lighter at her.
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Trying to escape, she pulled forward, put the flames out and drove home. Her mother urged her to go to the hospital, where she was treated for burns and told the liquid was believed to be lighter fluid. While Bernstein will need to make follow-up visits for medical care, police have opened an investigation and are looking for surveillance of the assault.
Dane County Boys and Girls Clubs president Michael Johnson spoke on behalf of the Bernstein family and stated, “[The family is] saddened at what happened to Althea and the unprovoked attack on her body. At this time, our family is asking everyone to respect our privacy as Althea is recovering from the burns on her face and neck.”
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