Muslim woman says 4 teens attacked, harassed her on Bronx bus
MORRISANIA, Bronx (WABC) -- A Muslim woman is seeking justice after she said she was beaten and taunted by a group of teens in the Bronx -- and claims police did not conduct a proper investigation.
The victim, 22-year-old Fatoumata Camara, said the incident happened on the Bx35 at Third Ave and E. 168th Street in Morrisania on May 10 when the group of young teens started harassing her, making inappropriate statements about her being black and wearing Muslim attire.
"I have never seen them in my life," she said about the suspects.
Camara, a recent college graduate, said the altercation turned physical and that she was pushed off the bus and attacked outside. During the fight, she claimed the group threw sunflower seeds at her and yelled racial insults.
She said her nose was broken, her belongings -- including at least $500, her academic award, insurance card, and passport -- were all lost. Camara now has $4000 in medical bills.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, planned to hold a press conference on Friday to bring awareness to the incident. They want to educate New Yorkers about the New York City Human Rights Law.
Three of the identified suspects are 15 years old and a fourth is 16 years old. The Bronx District Attorney's Office has deferred prosecution as police search for more evidence against the teens.
The victim claims the NYPD did not conduct a thorough, proper investigation.
"The police never reached out to me to tell me what's going on with my case," Camara said. "The DA, everybody, just dropped my case and everybody just acted like my life didn't matter."
Eyewitness News reached out to the NYPD for comment. The Bronx DA said the suspects were brought into the complaint room, but the person who videoed the incident with her phone did not want to cooperate as a witness, and therefore the case was deferred to police.
"The victim eventually viewed photos but was unable to identify anyone. Police closed the case," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The NYPD also released a statement: "Due to the new information presented by the victim today, the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force will make a determination of whether or not this is a biased incident."
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