Johny Alcántara was just waiting for his food.
He is 44 years old and was outside a restaurant in East Harlem, Manhattan, eyes fixed on his phone, like anyone waiting for an order. He didn’t see anyone coming. According to security footage, a bearded man walked behind him carrying what looked like a thermos and a steaming cup, threw the liquid down his back, and ran off.
“I felt something splash, and then an intense burning sensation”, Alcántara told ABC7. He ran into the restaurant to ask for help and ended up in the care of doctors, with burns on his face, ear, and the back of his neck. He said the liquid turned black when it touched his skin and left him with deep scars. Doctors warned him that he might need a skin graft.
Authorities say the two men did not know each other and that there is no clear motive. The assailant fled on foot, and police are asking for help identifying him. A worker at the restaurant, Oscar Pérez, summed up the atmosphere in the area: “It’s no longer safe to be around here”.
How much longer will the person who did this to a man who was just waiting for his food walk free?