Teen's face smashed by catcallers with brass rod
An US teenager has been left disfigured after she was attacked by a gang of men for wearing a bikini.
Jessica Byrnes-Laird and her boyfriend Jared Palletier made a quick stop at a local service station, which later turned into a night they would never forget.
The 18-year-old girl had waited in the car as her boyfriend went in to buy cigarettes.
Byrnes-Laird was still in her bikini from a day at the beach.
A group of men approached the car as soon as Pelletier left.
When he came back to the car, he heard the guys "staring at her saying all these sexual comments."
That's when the fight broke out - which was caught on CCTV.
As Pelletier returned to the car, a man wearing a red T-shirt is seen to throw a brass rod through the passenger's window, smashing Byrnes-Laird in the face.
Half of her top lip was ripped from her face.
"I looked down and saw my teeth in my hand and I immediately gushed blood," the teen told NBC 6.
Pelletier said he felt "guilty because I think that what they were throwing, it was meant for me."
"But it hit her. She was a beautiful, still is a beautiful girl."
Byrnes-Laird lost 10 teeth and got countless stitches, the damage psychologically is the biggest concern.
"Getting used to eating and talking, it's been difficult," said Byrnes-Laird.
"It'll take months of endurance and patience, but it'll be fine.
"Getting new teeth, and getting my smile back is something to look forward to," Byrnes-Laird told NBC 6.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to cover her dental bills had raised more than $8,000 as of Saturday.
Police are trying to track down the attackers and are appealing to the public for information.
Morning news break – August 3
