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Hunter College professor recounts terrifying machete attack in Jamaica
Veronica Cassidy tells the Daily News how her exotic getaway quickly turned into a hellish ordeal when she walked into a bathroom and encountered a man who slashed at her repeatedly with a machete. She has decided to share her story after experiencing severe physical and psychological trauma that forced her into an in-patient treatment facility.
By Corinne Lestch / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Julia Xanthos/New York Daily News
Veronica Cassidy talks for first time how she and boyfriend fended off a crazed attacker at their villa in Jamaica in May 2012. Even after ordeal, she says they plan to visit the Caribbean again.
A Brooklyn college professor spoke publicly for the first time Saturday about how she fought off a machete-wielding attempted rapist while she was on a vacation in Jamaica.
Veronica Cassidy, a Hunter College adjunct professor, told the Daily News how the exotic getaway quickly turned into a hellish ordeal when she walked into the bathroom naked and encountered a tall, skinny man in the middle of the night.
“It was like being in a nightmare,” said Cassidy, 27.
The light from a full moon shined directly on his smiling face as he stood there, gripping a raised machete aimed for her chest.
“It was about a beat — one breath — and I just screamed,” said Cassidy. “And as soon as I screamed, that’s when he started hitting me with the machete.”
Cassidy, of Fort Greene, loved taking vacations off the beaten path, so heading to a remote villa with her boyfriend, Shane O’Connor, last May seemed like the perfect getaway. But the beauty around them belied what lay in wait.
PHOTOS: STARS WHO ATTACK PAPARAZZI
Handout from Veronica Cassidy
The beauty around vacationers Veronica Cassidy and Shane O'Connor belied what lay in wait at the remote Jamaican villa where they had stayed in May 2012.
When confronted by the machete man, Cassidy recognized him as Yuan, who had appeared at the couple’s villa door about two hours earlier trying to make conversation.
As the weapon came at her again and again, cutting her arms and legs so that blood splattered on the walls of the narrow bathroom, Cassidy immediately reacted and tried to push him away.
“My big concern was that if he took one more step into the bathroom, he would be able to close and lock the door,” she remembered. “I fought instead of trying to retreat. I started hitting him and blocking him.”
After she fended the attacker off, her beau rushed over and threatened the man with a knife. The pair eventually scared their intruder away.
“He started screaming, a high-pitched sort of scream, which made the whole thing a lot more terrifying,” she said.
About three hours after locking themselves in the bathroom and calling her mother and the police, Cassidy and O’Connor were rescued and fled Jamaica.
RELATED: KANYE WEST COULD FACE ATTEMPTED ROBBERY CHARGES FOR PAPARAZZI ATTACK: REPORT
Handout from Veronica Cassidy
Veronica Cassidy, left, shown with boyfriend Shane O’Connor, was attacked with a mechete at a Jamaican villa where the couple vacationed last year. After Cassidy fended off the man, O'Connor threatened him with a knife and the pair scared him away.
She said there were “ominous signs” when they arrived at the remote location. “I turned to my boyfriend and said, ‘I don’t know if I can stay here,’ ” she recalled.
Now, a year later, Cassidy has decided to share her story after experiencing severe physical and psychological trauma that forced her into an in-patient treatment facility for about two months.
“I was terrified at every moment,” said Cassidy, who was suicidal. “I was constantly living with that image of turning and seeing that guy in the bathroom.”
She also wanted to show people that she was not a victim — and her boyfriend did not save her.
“I think it’s important that we have stories of women who do fight back,” she said.
And there are strong signs of moving on.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...#ixzz2Zjbkd6cI
Hunter College professor recounts terrifying machete attack in Jamaica
Veronica Cassidy tells the Daily News how her exotic getaway quickly turned into a hellish ordeal when she walked into a bathroom and encountered a man who slashed at her repeatedly with a machete. She has decided to share her story after experiencing severe physical and psychological trauma that forced her into an in-patient treatment facility.
By Corinne Lestch / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Julia Xanthos/New York Daily News
Veronica Cassidy talks for first time how she and boyfriend fended off a crazed attacker at their villa in Jamaica in May 2012. Even after ordeal, she says they plan to visit the Caribbean again.
A Brooklyn college professor spoke publicly for the first time Saturday about how she fought off a machete-wielding attempted rapist while she was on a vacation in Jamaica.
Veronica Cassidy, a Hunter College adjunct professor, told the Daily News how the exotic getaway quickly turned into a hellish ordeal when she walked into the bathroom naked and encountered a tall, skinny man in the middle of the night.
“It was like being in a nightmare,” said Cassidy, 27.
The light from a full moon shined directly on his smiling face as he stood there, gripping a raised machete aimed for her chest.
“It was about a beat — one breath — and I just screamed,” said Cassidy. “And as soon as I screamed, that’s when he started hitting me with the machete.”
Cassidy, of Fort Greene, loved taking vacations off the beaten path, so heading to a remote villa with her boyfriend, Shane O’Connor, last May seemed like the perfect getaway. But the beauty around them belied what lay in wait.
PHOTOS: STARS WHO ATTACK PAPARAZZI
Handout from Veronica CassidyThe beauty around vacationers Veronica Cassidy and Shane O'Connor belied what lay in wait at the remote Jamaican villa where they had stayed in May 2012.
When confronted by the machete man, Cassidy recognized him as Yuan, who had appeared at the couple’s villa door about two hours earlier trying to make conversation.
As the weapon came at her again and again, cutting her arms and legs so that blood splattered on the walls of the narrow bathroom, Cassidy immediately reacted and tried to push him away.
“My big concern was that if he took one more step into the bathroom, he would be able to close and lock the door,” she remembered. “I fought instead of trying to retreat. I started hitting him and blocking him.”
After she fended the attacker off, her beau rushed over and threatened the man with a knife. The pair eventually scared their intruder away.
“He started screaming, a high-pitched sort of scream, which made the whole thing a lot more terrifying,” she said.
About three hours after locking themselves in the bathroom and calling her mother and the police, Cassidy and O’Connor were rescued and fled Jamaica.
RELATED: KANYE WEST COULD FACE ATTEMPTED ROBBERY CHARGES FOR PAPARAZZI ATTACK: REPORT
Handout from Veronica CassidyVeronica Cassidy, left, shown with boyfriend Shane O’Connor, was attacked with a mechete at a Jamaican villa where the couple vacationed last year. After Cassidy fended off the man, O'Connor threatened him with a knife and the pair scared him away.
She said there were “ominous signs” when they arrived at the remote location. “I turned to my boyfriend and said, ‘I don’t know if I can stay here,’ ” she recalled.
Now, a year later, Cassidy has decided to share her story after experiencing severe physical and psychological trauma that forced her into an in-patient treatment facility for about two months.
“I was terrified at every moment,” said Cassidy, who was suicidal. “I was constantly living with that image of turning and seeing that guy in the bathroom.”
She also wanted to show people that she was not a victim — and her boyfriend did not save her.
“I think it’s important that we have stories of women who do fight back,” she said.
And there are strong signs of moving on.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...#ixzz2Zjbkd6cI
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