S. Fla. Woman Set Ablaze Returns To Work
BOYNTON BEACH (CBSMiami) – A woman set on fire at a South Florida gas station in June has returned to work and during a recent interview about her recovery, Naomie Breton almost sounded sympathetic toward the man blamed for causing severe burn to her arms and body.
Breton was set ablaze, allegedly by her estranged boyfriend, Roosevelt Mondesir, on June 11th.
"When I first saw the gun and I saw the gas I thought he's just trying to scare me. And when he started pouring it on the car I thought ok, this is a lot realer than I thought," said Breton.
Breton told police the father of her 4-year-old son was supposed to meet her in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven so she could pick up the child as part of a shared custody agreement. But when Mondesir showed up, their son was not in the car. Instead he brought a container of gasoline and a machete.
Surveillance video outside of the 7-Eleven shows Mondesir chasing Breton with the gas can before he doused her with the flammable gas, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Breton, soaked in gasoline, ran inside the 7-Eleven but the knife-wielding attacker was able to pull her back outside the store. Seconds later, the video shows her running while fully engulfed in flames.
Breton managed to tear her burning clothes off and called 911.
When she was released from the hospital, she was swathed in bandages. Now, she's back at work and glad to be alive even thought she admits it's tough.
"For the most part my spirits have stayed up," said Breton.
She's amazingly upbeat and surprisingly not bitter about the man who police say did this to her.
"I almost feel sorry for him because he threw away his life. He let jealousy and the devil get to him to the point he threw away his life," said Breton.
The worst part she said, is explaining it to their four year old son.
"And the baby, he still 'I miss daddy. I wish I could talk to him in the morning.'"
She cries sometimes about the way she looks but reminds herself she's lucky to be alive and back at work.
Breton suffered second- and third-degree burns to her arms, stomach and face but has no harsh words for Mondesir.
"I don't hold any hard feelings against him. When we pray at night we pray for him. I don't want my kids to hold hate in their heart for him," she said.
Mondesir remains in jail without bond, charged with attempted first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
