LI Woman Doused With Acid: 'It Felt Like My Face Was On Fire'

ELMONT, NY — A Long Island woman who was badly burned when a hazardous material was poured on her is sharing details of the frightening episode.

Nafiah Ikram, a 21-year-old student at Hofstra University, told ABC7 that it felt like her face was on fire and "then I couldn't breathe too. This was a worse-than-death experience. I was in that ambulance and I felt my chest being ripped out of my soul. That's how much pain I was in."

Ikram was heading home from work on March 17 when a man startled her by throwing the toxic substance at her face as she approached her driveway, police say.

"I was just living my life, I was minding my business, you know, so what could have provoked someone to do this to me?" she told CBS2.

The pre-med student spent the past month recovering after not being able to speak or eat, ABC7 reported.

Nassau police, still looking to make an arrest, increased the reward from $5,000 to $20,000 for information. However, Nassau police are still trying to determine whether the attack was a hate crime, CBS2 reported.

The man was seen wearing gloves and carrying a white cup, police said. He was described as 6 feet 2 inches, skinny and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

A Go Fund Me page has received more than $430,000 in donations for Ikram's recovery.