'Why did no one came to my rescue?' Mother who survived savage McDonald's beating that was filmed by onlookers speaks out as police hunt for her attacker
Catherine Ferreira, 27, suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and a mild concussion
Video of the beating was recorded by a bystander Tuesday behind a McDonald's in Salem, New Jersey
Police identified attacker as 25-year-old Latia Harris, who now faces charges of assault and making terroristic threats
Ferreira said had Harris struck her in the right spot, she could have been dead
The feud started a couple of weeks ago when Harris overheard Ferreira gossiping with her McDonald's friends about her workplace romance
Harris, a mother of two, called Ferreira several times telling her she could lose her job over the rumors
Horryfing aftermath: Catherine Ferreira, 27, suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and a mild concussion, but she said she could have been dead had her assailant struck her in the right spot
Little hero: Ferreira said her sole protector during the beating was her 2-year-old son, Xzavion, who threw himself on Latia Harris
Harris also goes by the name Alima Zawjatul Abdul Sabur.The 25-year-old has two young children (pictured) and a large family in Philadelphia
Quote:
On Tuesday, Ferreira said she was walking home with her son at around 7pm when Harris ambushed her in a clearing behind the McDonald’s and smacked her.
The 4-foot-9, 10-pound mother tried to reason with Harris and informed her that she did not want to fight, but the woman ignored her pleas, hurling Ferreira' to the ground.
‘I could have been dead right now, had she hit me in the right spot it would have been over, over nothing,’ Ferreira tearfully said. ‘McDonald’s isn’t worth it, a guy isn’t worth it.’
The people who witnessed the attack and did nothing to stop it have been condemned by local police and the media, but Ferreira cautioned against demonizing them, stressing in the interview that they should not be seen as ‘monsters.’
Police officers were called to the scene just after 7pm after receiving reports of a woman covered in blood.
They found the 27-year-old bleeding profusely from her face and acting disoriented and confused. She was taken to The Memorial Hospital of Salem County to be treated for injuries to her face.
'Police in this county deal with this type of violence everyday. Yet, this video is physically sickening to watch,' Pelura stated.
'There is a moral and social breakdown in the fabric of our society which is clearly evident when a woman gets pummeled in broad daylight in front of her child while a dozen people pull out their phones to record the incident instead of calling for help.'
He added: 'There is so little regard for human life - by the actor and the bystanders.'
