Georgia Acid Attack Victim Lashes Out at Savannah Mayor and Police For Withholding Video Evidence, Suggesting She Personally Knew Suspect

Last December, a Georgia woman sustained severe burns to her face, neck, and scalp after a stranger emerged from the bushes at a Forsyth park and doused her in acid.

According to law enforcement, a black male approached the victim, Ashley Wasielewski, while she was walking around Forsyth Park and hurled acid at her.

The suspect, who is still at large, approached the victim from behind and poured the liquid chemical on her.

Wasielewski suffered third-degree burns and received treatment at Memorial Hospital in Augusta.

According to police, the attacker was not known to the victim.

“I walk around this park a lot, even at night,” Wasielewski told WJCL. “You just don’t expect something like this to happen here.”

Police previously released a photo of the attacker and asked the public for help.

Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers, 912-234-2020, or submit an anonymous tip through the SPD mobile app.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, a black man, has repeatedly suggested Wasielewski knew her attacker and called it a “personal thing.”

The statements from Mayor Johnson rightfully angered Wasielewski and her family.

Additionally, the Savannah Police are withholding video evidence in the attack.

“More than four months after a woman was doused with sulfuric acid in Forsyth Park, Savannah Police say a key piece of video evidence will stay out of the public eye,” WTOC reported.

“SPD says the footage is too poor in quality to generate meaningful leads. The video could create confusion or hinder the ongoing investigation,” the outlet said.

WJCL reported:

The woman injured in a December acid attack in Forsyth Park is criticizing Savannah Mayor Van Johnson over remarks she says were speculative and unhelpful, while also faulting police for not publicly releasing a description of a possible suspect.

Ashley Wasielewski, through a family member, said the mayor’s recent comments during his weekly news conference were “irresponsible” and risked distracting from the search for the person who attacked her.

Mayor suggests attack may have been personal
During the briefing, Johnson was asked whether the Dec. 10 attack appeared to be random. He said he would leave that determination to police, but added that the case did not make sense to him and that, in his view, an acid attack “is really a really personal thing.”

Johnson also said he was unfamiliar with any similar acid attack in Savannah and noted that officers he had spoken with could not recall one either.

Wasielewski’s family pushed back strongly.

“From our family’s perspective, we want to be very clear — there is no known personal connection between Ashley and her attacker,” the family said in a statement. “The mayor suggesting on multiple occasions that this attack ‘feels personal’ — without any evidence — not only risks shifting focus away from identifying the attacker but directly undermines the need for credible leads.”