Florida teen beaten at FIU says she was thinking, 'OK, try not to die'

A teenage marine biology student said she was attacked near the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University. (FIU)

A teenage girl who was severely beaten two weeks ago by an unknown assailant in Florida told reporters Wednesday that she was thinking “OK, try not to die,” during the attack, The Miami Herald Reported.

Bela Perdomo, 15, said she was with fellow classmate James Critz, 16, during the Sept. 10 attack in a wooded trail on Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay campus in North Miami.

Perdomo and Critz are high school students studying marine biology on the campus. The students were reportedly collecting dirt for a school project when they passed by an individual on the trail.

Perdomo and Critz said hello and two minutes later, were severely beaten by the individual, The Herald reported. The attacker beat them with a tree branch, leaving them with fractured skulls and unconscious, according to the report.

“I was thinking, OK, try not to die,” Perdomo told reporters. “I want to catch him. From there, I want to get past him.”

Perdomo said she regained consciousness and sought help in a nearby building. FIU police and medics found Critz semi-conscious. Neither teenager was sexually assaulted, police said. Both are recovering from their injuries.

The assailant managed to escape and remains at large, police said. Perdomo described the assailant as a heavy-set, Hispanic male, around 18-years-old.

During Wednesday’s press conference in FIU’s north campus library, authorities were mum on leads so as not to taint the investigation, they said. Police said they’re reviewing surveillance footage from around the school.