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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

Woman's face burned off after being set on fire in gruesome attack in park

A woman has been left disfigured after being set on fire in a park.

Alyssa Morales, 36, will "never have the face she was born with" after sustaining massive second and third-degree burns across over half of her body and face last Thursday in a Philadelphia park in the US.

Emergency services rushed to Harrowgate Park to reports of a blaze and arrived to find Alyssa covered in searing burns.

Alyssa - who was put into a medically-induced coma - now faces being in hospital for months as she undergoes plastic surgery and grafts to save what remains of her skin.

On a fundraising page, Alyssa's friend wrote: "She was in too much pain to identify herself when she arrived at the hospital, and was listed as a Jane Doe for two days before her family was able to see her."

The second and third-degree burns covered more than 50 per cent of her body (Gofundme)

Alyssa, known as "Bre", was homeless and had substance abuse issues at the time of the attack - even appearing in a YouTube clip discussing her hard life.

The fundraising page said Alyssa had tried to get sober "several times" but could never "conquer her demons" .

But it added she "would never physically harm anyone but herself".

In a chilling CCTV clip, Alyssa is seen ablaz on the ground as horrified onlookers move towards her.

In a second clip showing the 36-year-old lying prone, she can be heard screaming in agony.

One of the people can be heard making a 999 call, telling the operator "she's bleeding a lot" after "someboy set her on fire".

Scorch marks on the ground after the callous attack (Fox29)

As they gathered around her, they pin the blame on a group of "kids".

One says: “It was like kids and s**t."

Another adds: “That’s weird young bulls**t."

But police said the attack happened after Alyssa and a man had a suspected argument with an unidentified woman.

The suspect then doused Alyssa with liquid and set her ablaze.

Police said Alyssa and a man were seen arguing with another in the moments leading up to the attack (Fox29)

Witness Noraida Nunez told Fox News: “I saw the little — it was like a little spark — and then all the sudden it just went ‘whoosh’ like somebody threw fluid.”

Alyssa's mum said she only found out her troubled daughter had been disfigured "on the internet".

Ms Morales’ mother, Leah Ann Morales, confirmed to it was her daughter in the video.

She told CBS News: “I watched the first three seconds when I knew it was her and I couldn’t watch anymore.

“You know it’s your daughter, and you know she’s burned, and then you’re just like, ‘She needs help, can somebody help her?’ And I found out on the internet.”

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