Monroe Township Police Department
(WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ) — Three Florida residents were arrested after being hired for an alleged acid attack on a New Jersey woman last month, officials said Tuesday.
According to the Gloucester County District Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, police responded to a home in Monroe Township on July 26 where a 42-year-old woman was attacked as she returned home from work.
“When the victim opened the car door, an unknown woman approached her and threw a cup with liquid contents directly at the victim,” said a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
The alleged perpetrator then fled the crime scene.
The victim was flown by helicopter to a burn center, where she is still being treated for chemical burns on 35 percent of her body, officials said.
“The liquid used in the attack was probably a highly corrosive acid,” the public prosecutor’s office said.
After an extensive investigation, police were able to trace the getaway vehicle to two suspects, whom they identified as 38-year-old Betty Jo Lane and 39-year-old Jmarr McNeil, both of Jacksonville, Florida.
Prosecutors said Lane and McNeil were hired for the attack by William DiBernardino, 49, of Boynton Beach, Florida.
The victim had “a previous relationship” with DiBernardino, prosecutors said.
All three suspects were taken into custody in Florida, the office said. Lane and McNeil were extradited to New Jersey on Tuesday, according to Boynton Beach police.
They were all charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, illegal possession of weapons and stalking.
It was not immediately clear whether the suspects had hired a lawyer.
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