Mom Shot Outside Wendy’s Restaurant in Front of Her Children

A New Jersey mother is sharing her terrifying story after being shot in front of her two young children in Union County.

“It has been very tough. I never expected to go through something like this,” said Nelkys Cabreja.

Cabreja told Eyewitness News she is grateful to be alive, but her injuries have left her in severe pain. The 36-year-old was sitting in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant in Linden on September 15 when a bullet struck her.

“Everybody said that they were glad that I was here. I had a lot of internal bleeding. I lost more than half of my blood,” Cabreja said.

Her children, aged 6 and 8, were in the car at the time. She checked on them before calling 911 to report the shooting.

“I was sitting in my car already backing out of the parking lot and yeah, my cup that was in my cupholder just exploded. And that’s what made me look around, and I saw the guys shooting,” she recalled.

Cabreja had been giving a neighbor a ride to Wendy’s with her kids when the neighbor was confronted by the gunman. That’s when the shots were fired.

“I believe he was shooting at my car just because he saw me talk to the guy that he was arguing with,” she said.

A business owner, Cabreja is now unable to work because of her injuries. The bullet caused major damage to her lower body.

“I barely can walk. I have one leg that’s numb. My other leg is in constant pain all the time. My lower back, the bullet is lodged in my spine,” she said.

Speaking from her hospital bed at a rehabilitation center in Elizabeth, Cabreja explained that the pain forced her to return to the hospital after briefly going home.

“The pain doesn’t let me eat. I just don’t feel comfortable. Like I know my kids miss me,” she said.

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting and charged them with aggravated assault. They are currently being held in Essex County jail.

Cabreja hopes the suspects are held accountable as she faces a long road to recovery.

“I feel like there has to be some consequences to their actions,” she said.