A New York City woman is sharing her story after she was sucker-punched in broad daylight last week, leaving her with a broken jaw and missing teeth.
Dulce Pichardo, 57, spoke to FOX5 New York after she was randomly attacked on Tuesday on Grand Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect Heights.
"That’s why I am here telling my story," Pichardo said through gritted teeth as her mouth remained wired shut due to her broken jaw. "I don’t want this to happen again."
Pichardo said she was walking home from work when she passed by a man who suddenly punched her in the face.
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"As soon as I passed, he hit me very strongly … he didn’t say anything," she told the station. "I was bleeding a lot – it hurts – I knew something was broken – because I feel it."
Pichardo said that the single strike not only broke her jaw, but also knocked out teeth and left her with permanent nerve damage.
She ran to her family’s restaurant and told her brother, Fausto, what had happened. Fausto ran after the suspect, but says the man denied hitting Pichardo.
Police arrived after someone called 911 and arrested the man, who was identified as 33-year-old Franz Jeudy.
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Jeudy was charged with assault and harassment, though the station reported that he pleaded not guilty and was released without bail. He is due in court in May.
The incident is one of a string of similar attacks against women that have recently occurred in New York City.
Within the last two weeks, several young, female victims have posted on TikTok about the terrifying moments when they were approached by strangers and hit.
One suspect, identified as 40-year-old Skiboky Stora, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault in connection to one case involving a 25-year-old woman who was struck in the head and injured on March 25.
Fox News’ Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
