Jersey City mom violently attacked by ‘taxi driver’ on Turks and Caicos vacation
After being violently attacked during a taxi ride in Turks and Caicos, a mother from Jersey City is now warning other travelers to practice caution while vacationing abroad.
“What seemed like a place of paradise on my last day turned into a complete nightmare,” Suyapa Ramos wrote in a post on GoFundMe earlier this week.
Ramos, 48, says she was beaten brutally on March 10, the last night of her trip to the islands, she told ABC 7 on Thursday. She was out at a bar past the time when taxis normally run, and was offered a ride by a man claiming to work as a driver.
“Everyone knew him at the establishment [and no one] interjected when he said he drove a taxi so I believed him,” Ramos wrote on GoFundMe. “With no way of getting back to the hotel and since he said he did taxi, I went.”
Ramos doesn’t know what prompted Davidson Martin to later attack her while she was in his car, but said, “he was growling at me, he was trying to poke my eye out.”
“I fought for my life,” she told ABC 7. “It was so scary to feel yourself so close to death.”
Eventually, Ramos was able to escape Martin’s grip and run out onto the street where she flagged down a car, which then took her to the hospital.
In images posted to her GoFundMe, Ramos is shown with multiple scars and heavy bruises from the incident.
She’s asking for donations to help with her medical bills and other expenses, as she’s currently unable to work. She’s also trying to save up money to return to Turks and Caicos to face her alleged attacker in court.
Martin, 29, of Grand Turk, was arrested on March 12 in connection with the case and charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He’s currently being held on $10,000 bail and is due back in court in May.
The U.S. State Department advises “increased caution” while traveling to Turks and Caicos, and recommends not walking alone at night in the region. Still, the British territory is only listed as a Level 2 Travel Advisory, with Level 3 being “Reconsider Travel” and Level 4 being “Do Not Travel.”
“Be careful where you travel to because paradise can turn into a nightmare for anyone but especially a woman and tourists,” Ramos said.
