New Jersey mother speaks out after being shot outside Wendy's restaurant in front of her children
LINDEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- A New Jersey woman is speaking out about her brush with death after she was shot in front of her two young children in Union County.
"It has been very tough. I never expected to go through something like this," Nelkys Cabreja said.
In an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News, Cabreja says she is thankful to be alive, but she is also in extreme pain after she became the innocent victim of a shooting outside a Wendy's restaurant in Linden on September 15. She says she was sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant when a bullet slammed into her body.
"Everybody said that they were glad that I was here. I had a lot of internal bleeding. I lost more than half of my blood" Cabreja said.
Cabreja says she had her two children in the car at the time of the shooting. She checked on her 6-year-old and 8-year-old before calling 911 to report that she had been shot.
"I was sitting in my car already backing out of the parking lot and yeah, my cup that was in my cupholder just exploded. And that's what made me look around, and I saw the guys shooting," she said.
The 36-year-old mother had given a neighbor a ride to the Wendy's along with her children. The neighbor was confronted by the gunman and that's when shots were fired.
"I believe he was shooting at my car just because he saw me talk to the guy that he was arguing with," Cabreja said.
Cabreja is a business owner who cannot work after she was struck in the hip. The bullet did significant damage to her lower extremities.
"I barely can walk. I have one leg that's numb. My other leg is in constant pain all the time. My lower back, the bullet is lodged in my spine," Cabreja said.
Cabreja spoke to Eyewitness News from her hospital bed at an Elizabeth rehabilitation center. She was home for a while but had to return to the hospital due to the pain and possibility of infection.
"The pain doesn't let me eat. I just don't feel comfortable. Like I know my kids miss me," she said.
Police arrested two suspects in connection to the shooting and charged them with aggravated assault. They are currently being held in the Essex County jail.
Cabreja hopes the suspects are held accountable as she continues the long road to recovery.
"I feel like there has to be some consequences to their actions," Cabreja said.
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