A New Jersey woman nearly lost her finger after another woman attempted to bite it off.
Tonya Knight-Joseph had just finished parking at the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey when the incident occurred late Saturday afternoon, according to The New York Daily News.
Knight-Joseph reportedly circled the parking lot of the large mall several times before she saw an open spot. After parking, two women approached her and got into her face immediately.
"As soon as I got out of the car she started calling me all types of B-words," Tonya Knight-Joseph told ABC News. "She got this close to my face, her nose touched my nose. She was yelling and screaming then she hit me in the face.”
When Knight-Joseph put her hands up to defend herself, her assailant reportedly bit into the tip of her finger.
"All of a sudden, I must have been pushing the initial attacker away and she bit down on my finger and proceeded to chomp. By the time I looked at it, it was hanging off by a little piece of skin. I immediately picked up my cell, called 911 and followed her into the Nordstrom's," Knight-Joseph said.
Knight-Joseph attempted to chase after the woman, but the dispatcher told her to stop and head to Cooper University Hospital, where she remains. Treated with tetanus shots and tested for HIV, the victim is still waiting to hear if her finger can be reattached or if it will have to be amputated.
"This is a very big deal, beyond an assault. She went through to the bone, the bone is actually fractured, and the finger was nearly severed. This is an aggravated assault and it's something very serious. You're always concerned with bites, also with infections,” said Cherry Hill Police Lt. Amy Winters.
"I think it's outrageous and ridiculous. I don't understand how someone who is so angry should be out in public period," Knight-Joseph said.
Police have released a photograph of the woman who attacked Knight-Joesph and have established a tip line.