Boulder survivor recounts desperation trying to help woman on fire

Yahoo

2 days ago

Ed Victor had just finished the Run for Their Lives walk and was with group members gathering outside the Boulder, Colorado, courthouse on Sunday afternoon when he said he heard a crash, felt heat -- and then saw a woman on fire.
'My focus got extremely narrow at that time. I didn't notice anything else," Victor said at a news conference Wednesday with political and faith leaders outside the courthouse.
"I was worried about that woman," he said, "and I'll tell you, when someone is on fire, it takes too long to put them out."
MORE: Boulder attack latest: Number of victims climbs to 15
Victor said he and the other walk participants frantically looked around for what they had to help extinguish the flames: flags and a banner.
Fifteen people ranging in age from 25 to 88 years old were hurt in the Molotov cocktail attack, prosecutors said. Some victims were "very seriously burned," Rabbi Mark Soloway said at the news conference.
The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" during the attack, the FBI said. He was arrested at the scene and has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, officials said.
Soliman allegedly said he intentionally targeted Run for Their Lives, a peaceful group comprised of Jews and non-Jews who participate in weekly walks to raise awareness about the hostages in Gaza, according to court documents.
Soliman told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people," court documents said.
He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said.
Political and faith leaders strongly condemned the attack at Wednesday's news conference.
"Antisemitism, violence and hate have no home in Colorado," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said. "We will not be silenced or scared. We will not let the demons of hate define us."
"The whole Jewish community is reeling, shocked that this hideous hate crime could happen right here in downtown, beautiful Boulder, Colorado," Soloway said. "And yet, we have seen this coming ... Jews here and all over America and all over the world have not been feeling safe."
The Boulder attack comes at a time of heightened violence against the Jewish community.
In April, a suspected arsonist firebombed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's official residence because of "what [the governor] wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to a search warrant signed by Pennsylvania State Police. The suspect was arrested.
On May 21, two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. When the suspect was arrested, he began to chant, "free, free Palestine," according to police.
Two days after the D.C. attack, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that the Israel-Hamas conflict "continues to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel."
MORE: Colorado attack comes amid record incidents of antisemitic and Islamophic hate crimes
The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic rise in acts of hate targeting Jewish people in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. In 2024, the ADL said it recorded a record high of 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., marking a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past 10 years.
"I am angry," Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said at Wednesday's news conference.
'It's way past time for our political leaders, community groups, media outlets, tech platforms, faith leaders to take action before more Jewish blood is spilled. And it's way past time to stop excusing antisemitic rhetoric," he said.
Greenblatt urged the public to speak out against hate, sharing small, specific actions people can take.
"Flag a hateful post, sign a petition, attend a service, make a comment in city council," he said.
Soliman appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea. He'll return to court Thursday on the state charges.