Nafiah Ikram was in the driveway of her home in Long Island, New York, one night when she felt someone running up from behind. A liquid splashed onto his face.
She screamed for her father.
“I started to panic. I thought, ‘Dad, someone threw something in my face!'” Ikram said after the attack in Elmont, New York. “And he said, ‘Oh my God, it’s acidic.’”
It was March 17, 2021. The sulfuric acid burned Ikram’s face, neck and chest, leaving her permanently blind in her right eye, which required numerous surgeries and reconstructive grafts.
For nearly five years, as she dealt with the physical and emotional consequences of the surprise attack, the case remained unsolved. Her mysterious attacker, who fled in a red Nissan Altima, remained unknown.
But for Ikram and his family, the case took a positive turn this week. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Terrell Campbell, a 29-year-old Brooklyn man, with assault, illegal possession of a weapon and illegal possession of a noxious substance. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Two years after the incident, according to investigators, the aspiring hip-hop artist posted a song on YouTube in which he bragged about an acid attack. One of the verses said: “On the street at night, like a hitman, trying to get you and get your face burned with acid.”
Nassau County Prosecutor Anne T. Donnelly described the song as “cruel and brazen,” and an attempt to boost Campbell’s musical career.
“It’s disgusting,” Donnelly told reporters. “He bragged about it on the internet for everyone to see. He thought that after several years of not being arrested, he was free.”
Campbell’s attorney, Gregory Zak, declined to comment when contacted by CNN.
After nearly five years of living in fear, Ikram said prison has brought him some relief.
“I’m happy to have closed the chapter of uncertainty, security and constant worry,” she told the news affiliate CNNNews 12 Long Island.
Surgeries years after the attack
Ikram was 21 years old and a student at Hofstra University when the attack happened. She had just gotten back from work at a local pharmacy and was getting some items out of her car before heading into the house.
At the time, investigators said the attacker was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and gloves.
A nearby surveillance camera captured grainy video of the attack, but the attacker appeared mostly as a blur as he ran up behind her and fled into the night.
The attack shocked suburban New York and attracted widespread attention. Padma Lakshmi, host of “Top Chef” and a friend of Ikram’s family, used Instagram to ask people to share relevant information with police.
Ikram suffered first and second degree burns to his face, right eye, arms and throat. The injury to her throat was so severe that she will need to undergo repeated surgeries to remove the scar tissue, Donnelly said.
“She survived the attack, but this was just the beginning of a painful journey for a young, beautiful woman… for the past five years, she has endured unimaginable pain. She has also lived with two harrowing questions: who and why?” Donnelly added.
“Today, I’m proud that we can finally answer one of those questions…” she said. “As to why, our investigation continues and we cannot provide any further details at this time.”
Despite his life-changing injuries, Ikram said he remains optimistic.
“I realized that being a good person and being true to who I am no matter what happens is where Terrell lost his way and where his undoing occurred,” she told News 12 Long Island, “because I refuse to lose my moral values and my humanity no matter what happens to me.”
Research on sulfuric acid
Nassau County police said the big break in the case came from a tip about a possible suspect from someone who will receive a $50,000 reward from the Crime Stoppers program. Investigators declined to provide additional information about the whistleblower’s identity.
After investigators identified Campbell, they worked with him to determine his address and found a red Nissan Altima parked in front of the residence, Donnelly said.
“We later discovered he regularly used a red 2015 Nissan Altima in 2021, registered to a family member,” Donnelly said. “As we continued the investigation, we analyzed Campbell’s internet search history. In the minutes following the 2021 attack, we found searches asking questions like ‘how do I remove sulfuric acid from my car fabric?'”
The district attorney’s office also discovered that Campbell had posted a music video for his song “Obsidian” in October 2023 under the name YungBasedPrince. The song’s lyrics fit the narrative of the crime, Donnelly said.
“Two years after he ambushed Nafiah and left her screaming in pain in her front yard, he produced and published a video clip on YouTube bragging about throwing acid in a woman’s face… A horrific attack boiled down to a few song lyrics to get attention,” she said.
Authorities said they were working to determine the motive for the attack but declined to provide additional details. They are also investigating the possibility that someone paid Campbell to commit the crime, Donnelly said.
Ikram stated that Campbell is a stranger to her and that the reason for his alleged involvement is a mystery.
“I hope things come to light… the fact that I don’t even know this person makes me wonder who else could be involved?” she told the CNN affiliate.
Campbell worked in flower delivery, her attorney told News 12 Long Island. His next hearing is scheduled for February 18.
US Congresswoman Laura Gillen, who represents the part of Long Island where Ikram lived, celebrated the arrest. “For years, her attacker remained at large, posing a constant threat to our communities and denying the Ikram family the justice they deserve…” she said in a statement.
“I am relieved to see that there has been an arrest in the case. Now, Nafiah and her family are one step closer to receiving the justice and closure they deserve.”
