‘I was on fire’: Bodycam shows officials find woman after Summit Metro Parks attack

NORTON, Ohio (WJW) – Rangers with the Summit Metro Parks , along with investigators from the Norton Police Department, continue to work to identify suspects accused of splashing a woman with a chemical that then spontaneously combusted into flames.

The barbaric attack happened mid-afternoon on Sunday as the victim was walking on the Chippewa Trail in the Silver Lake Metro Park.

Police-worn body camera video shows officers encountering the woman near a parking lot about a half-mile from where the attack allegedly happened.

“The boys, they threw something on me. I don’t know where they went,” the victim told police. “Then I was on fire and I couldn’t get it to go out. I tried to roll and it didn’t do anything, so I yanked them off.”

The video shows officers with a burnt, melted piece of clothing described as a part of her pants.

The attackers are described as two young males, possibly in their teens or early twenties, wearing dark clothing. On the video, police are told they were both wearing long sleeves.

The victim told authorities she did not recognize them.

The victim was able to make it to where she encountered police under her own power and was able to walk, assisted, to a waiting ambulance which took her to a local hospital for treatment.

Her condition on Wednesday was not known.

On the video, police also encountered a witness who was able to call 911

“When I pulled in, I heard real nasty screaming kind of deep in, so I walked down that way because I thought somebody fell or I don’t know what and then I saw her weeping, coming towards me,” said the witness.

He told police when he first came into contact with the victim, he saw no one else in the area.

“No, she was the first person I saw, other than there was an older guy I see out here a lot jogging past me. I tried to stop him, but he had headphones in,” said the witness.

Investigators with the Ohio Fire Marshal’s office were at the scene on Monday.

The Ohio BCI is working to identify the chemical that was used in the attack, which the park describes as “isolated.”

They continue to urge people to visit the parks and to call rangers if they see anything unusual.

“Right now we believe this is an isolated incident. An incident like this has never happened before in Summit Metro Parks history,” said park spokesperson Lindsay Smith. “For visitors, we do recommend remaining vigilant. Keep aware of your surroundings. If possible, hike or run with a friend. Make sure someone knows where you are going to be.”

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