A 69-year-old woman said a 13-year-old boy deliberately set her hair on fire from behind while she was riding a bus in Netanya on Wednesday, leaving her shaken and in need of medical treatment.
“I can’t believe this happened to me — he burned me on purpose from behind without me provoking him. I hope justice is served,” the woman, identified as Miriam, a pseudonym, told ynet.
Footage shows minor setting elderly woman’s hair on fire during bus ride
(Video: Police)
The incident occurred during what she described as a short bus ride. According to Miriam, four boys boarded the bus shortly before it reached Netanya’s central bus station. She said the teen who allegedly ignited her hair appeared to be the dominant one in the group.
“They sat in the back, were rowdy, cursed and really behaved wildly,” she said. “I didn’t pay attention to them and was using my phone.”
Miriam said she suddenly noticed smoke in front of her eyes and face. “I didn’t understand where the smoke was coming from. I started shaking my head and reached toward my hair, and I saw burned hairs in my hand and on the seat,” she said. “I was in shock — I realized my hair was on fire. They simply set my head on fire, not with a regular lighter — they had a torch lighter.”
She said she began crying and trembling after getting off the bus, adding that she suffers from high blood pressure and experienced a spike following the incident. “When they opened the door so I could get off, the boys tried to run away,” she said. “Security guards tried to catch them.”
According to Miriam, after struggling with the guards, the teens managed to flee while assaulting and cursing at them. “I still haven’t processed what happened to me,” she said.
Miriam said the attack occurred just two weeks before her son’s wedding. “I have my son’s wedding in two weeks — this event ruined my hair and my plans to style it for the wedding day,” she said. “But I believe we will find a solution.”
She sought medical attention following the incident. A doctor prescribed her a sedative and applied ointment to the area of her scalp where the hair was burned, she said. “I was lucky they set my hair on fire and not my shirt,” she said. “If they had ignited that, I could have gone up in flames.”
Despite the incident, Miriam said she has no intention of stopping her use of public transportation. “I will continue to ride the bus — but from now on I will sit only near the driver, even if I have to ask another passenger to move,” she said. “If there is no seat, I will sit on the floor because it is safer there.”
She also called on authorities to take firm action against the suspect. “The police need to fully prosecute him,” she said. “If they let him off or take his age into consideration, he will not be deterred. He will know he can keep doing things like this to others because he is not punished. Everything must be done to ensure he is deterred and does not do this to others.”
“It is most absurd that we fear terrorists and end up falling victim to a Jewish teenager,” she added.