New York woman lied about being sprayed with caustic substance, police say

New York Police Department (NYPD). (Reuters)

A New York woman lied about being sprayed with a caustic substance by an alleged mysterious suspect last week, police said.

Lizzie Dunn, 52, told the New York Daily News last week she was walking to a bus stop from her Staten Island home Jan. 8 when she was approached from behind by a woman.

“I didn’t know the person,” Dunn told the Daily News. “She asked me for a cigarette and I told her no.”

Dunn said the woman then asked for money but she declined.

The alleged attack was reported to have happened outside Rocco’s Deli in Staten Island, N.Y. (Google Earth images)

Dunn claimed the woman grabbed her, screamed at her and sprayed her with a harmful substance.

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“I bet you don’t have the time either!” the woman supposedly yelled before grasping Dunn's arm and spraying a caustic substance on her face, according to Dunn's initial telling of the events.

“She grabbed me from the hood of my coat and sprayed me with something that was very painful,” Dunn said.

Dunn said the attacker then asked her, “do you know the time now, b----?”

Dunn said she stumbled into a nearby deli and asked somebody to call emergency services. She was transported to Staten Island University Hospital to be treated for third-degree burns on her face, left hand and neck.

Dunn said she initially thought the suspect was a black man but believed it could have also been a woman due to a feminine voice. She described the suspect as being about 5 foot 2 inches and weighing 140 pounds.

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But Dunn recanted her story and said the wounds were self-inflicted, police said, adding the woman has a history of harming herself.

NYPD’s 123rd precinct tweeted: “The alleged acid assault in the Woodrow Area yesterday has been found to have not occurred. The injuries were self-inflicted and there is no perpetrator. There is no threat to the public. Please retweet and share.”

It was not immediately clear if Dunn would be charged with filing a false police report, the Daily News reported.