Woman needs cornea transplant after attacker throws liquid in her face

A Northfield Township woman will need a cornea transplant after a man threw liquid in her face and burned her eyes, police said.

The woman was unloading her car in her driveway in the 5300 block of Sutton Road Tuesday night when a man came around the corner of her house wearing a ski mask, Northfield Township police said in an emailed alert.

The woman told police the man approached her around 6:30 p.m. carrying a red plastic cup in his left hand and either a gun or a knife in his right hand. He came up to her and threw the liquid in her eyes, then ran down her driveway toward Sutton Road, police said.

The woman immediately felt a burning sensation in her eyes and called to her daughter to dial 911. Officers from the Northfield Police Department, Green Oak, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and the Ann Arbor police responded, along with medical personnel. A police dog determined the suspect had left the area.

Detroit television station WJBK identified the woman as Alison Novick. She said she felt like her skin was burning. "All I could think of was I'm going to die right here," she told the station.

The suspect is described as white, 6 feet tall and 180 pounds. He was wearing light-colored blue jeans, a light green camouflage jacket and had a black ski mask pulled over his face.

The victim suffered permanent eye damage that will require a cornea transplant, police said. Samples of the liquid were sent to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab for analysis.

Anyone having any information about the attack is encouraged to call Officer Mark Jensen with the Northfield Township Police Department at 734-449-9911.