CBS2 Exclusive: Woman Says Aggressive Driver Attacked Her In Front Of Maplewood Home

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A woman claims an angry driver beat her to the point of concussion near her home in Maplewood.

"I was screaming for help. I was screaming for anyone to help stop the beating," Elle Barnett told CBS2's Valeria Castro.

Barnett said it happened on Tuesday, as she crossed the street.

"You don't expect that someone breaks the law and then they hurt you, and she continued to pound," she said.

Barnett said a raised intersection with crosswalks was recently installed on Prospect Street to slow down drivers who often speed through the neighborhood. She said she was in the crosswalk when she yelled to a driver to slow down.

"I said something to the effect of: 'What are you doing? I'm in the crosswalk,'" she recalled.

She said the driver immediately pulled over, she snapped a picture of the woman walking towards her.

"I thought she was just going to give me a piece of her mind. Instead, she gave me a piece of her closed fists," she said.

The woman also destroyed Barnett's cell phone. Her neighbor Eleanor Cahill was right there with her.

"I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, 'help, help, police! Police!,'" she said.

She reported the incident to police, but was surprised to hear her alleged attacker had already done the same.

"A police officer came to the hospital and said she had filed a report against me, and said that I had aggravated her," Barnett said.

Barnett said she was told she'd have to handle the case in court on her own.

Maplewood police told CBS2 they were aware of the incident, but had no further comment.

"What if she does this to someone else? What if she kills someone?" Barnett said.

Barnett said even though Maplewood police have not made an arrest, she does plan to press charges against the woman who attacked her.