Six females were hospitalized after suspects on a moped allegedly threw sulfuric acid at a group outside a residence.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Three teenage girls have been charged in connection with an alleged drive-by acid attack that injured six females in Jersey City, including three teenagers, according to city public safety officials and published reports.
The suspects, ages 13, 14 and 15, are accused of taking part in the June 15 attack on Wilkinson Avenue. Authorities said people traveling on a moped approached the group and threw a substance believed to be sulfuric acid. The victims were taken to a hospital with injuries that authorities described as not life-threatening. The case is being handled through the juvenile justice system, which generally limits the release of identifying information.
The three teenagers have been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, causing bodily injury and other offenses, a spokesperson for the Jersey City Department of Public Safety told news organizations. The charges are allegations. Because the accused are minors, officials have not released their names or detailed information about their court proceedings.
Police received reports of the attack outside a residential property on Wilkinson Avenue on the evening of June 15. Early accounts listed five victims, but officials later raised the total to six. The group included three teenage girls and three adult women, according to authorities.
All six victims were transported to a local hospital. Officials said they suffered chemical burns and other skin injuries. A 21-year-old woman was treated for second-degree burns to her face and scalp and was transferred to a burn unit. The other victims were reported in stable condition after the attack.
Authorities believe the assault was targeted rather than random. Preliminary information indicated that it followed an earlier dispute involving a larger group, police said. Officials have not publicly explained the nature of that dispute or disclosed what evidence led investigators to that conclusion.
One juvenile was arrested soon after the attack, according to the initial police account. Two more teenagers were later identified and detained. Jersey City officials did not publicly detail how investigators connected the additional suspects to the incident. Reports said arrests were made June 16 and June 17, although the charges involving all three teenagers were announced nearly a month later.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as injured members of the group sought help. One nearby resident told a television station that she heard a victim shouting that she was burning. Another witness said victims emerged with towels held to their faces before emergency crews took them to ambulances. Their accounts have not established who carried or threw the substance.
Officials have not said how the acidic substance was obtained, which suspect allegedly threw it or whether additional people may have been involved. Police also have not released laboratory findings publicly confirming the substance’s precise chemical makeup, though investigators said it was believed to be sulfuric acid.
Jersey City Mayor James Solomon called the attack horrific in a statement issued after the incident. He said violence of that kind had no place in the city and directed police to devote their resources to finding those responsible. The mayor’s statement came before authorities announced charges against all three teenagers.
The juvenile charges do not establish guilt, and officials have released little information about the next legal steps. The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine how the attack was planned, how the substance was obtained and whether anyone else participated.