Aussie Police have released CCTV footage of a man suspected of throwing boiling coffee on a baby boy at a Brisbane park. The man is now wanted for questioning.
The baby, who was nine months old, was with his family at Hanlon Park in Stones Corner on Tuesday when a stranger approached them and poured hot liquid on him. The stranger then fled the scene.
Innocent Victim: Nine-Month-Old Boy Targeted
Before the attack, the baby was seen happily playing with a toy car on a blanket. Photos taken after the incident showed him wrapped in bandages and crying, having suffered severe burns. A nearby off-duty nurse heard screams and rushed to the baby's aid.
She took the boy to her home and immediately placed him under a cold shower until paramedics arrived. The baby was immediately transported to Queensland Children's Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed that the liquid thrown on the baby was boiling coffee. The baby suffered severe burns to 60 percent of his body, including his face, neck, chest, and arms, in the attack on Tuesday.
CCTV Footage Released: Police Hunt For Suspect
Police released CCTV footage on Wednesday showing the suspected attacker fleeing the park. The man is between 30 and 40 years old, of average build, and with tanned skin. In the footage, he is seen wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt, and shorts.
"It's torture and I'm supposed to be his protector and I couldn't protect him," the baby's mum told 9News. "I'm just having flashbacks all the time about what happened and I wish that he had poured the coffee over me. I don't know who would think it is okay to harm a little, innocent baby," she added.
In a social media post, the baby's mother noted: "My baby boy didn't deserve this, no one does. I wish he poured the hot coffee all over me and not my boy." In her post, she urged people to help find the suspect.
Stones Corner | Police have released CCTV of a man who may be able to assist police with their enquiries into the serious assault of an infant at a park...
"Please if anyone has any CCTV footage around the Lincoln street / Regina street in stones corner please speak to police. This man needs to be found and charged. Thank you to all the lovely people at the park for pouring water on him and for the lady who took us to her apartment so we could get him in a cold shower asap."
Witness Account: Friend Recalls Horrific Attack
Zara Mazza, a friend of the mother, became emotional on Wednesday night as she told The Project about witnessing a man standing over her friend's nine-month-old baby. "This man was standing above him, behind him, and poured a Thermos of hot coffee over him. He just started screaming," she said.
Mazza described how she tried to chase the man, but he quickly disappeared. She tripped while trying to keep up with him. "Essentially all I could hear was his mum screaming that 'it's hot. it's hot. It's hot coffee'," she said.
Mazza ran back to the baby and poured her water bottle over him. Bystanders, armed with filled water bottles, rushed to help the baby. Mazza said the baby's mother was deeply traumatised by the incident.
"She's got a lot of anxiety right now. She's not been able to sleep very well, if at all. So definitely struggling," she said. "Bub is in a stable condition ... they say that he'll need regular dressing changes under anaesthetic over the next weeks. They don't know how long, but, yeah. It's gonna take a while." A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Luka's medical expenses.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident of violence against children. Earlier this month, a 17-year-old was involved in the murders of three girls: Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), and Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9). Additionally, countless children continue to suffer the devastating consequences of the Israel-Hamas war.
