Sister Survives Brutal Machete Attack While Sleeping Beside Toddler

Clear Facts

• Ruben Altidore, 36, allegedly attacked his sister with a machete while she slept next to her 1-year-old daughter in Margate, Florida
• The victim suffered severe injuries including a 10-inch wound and potential amputation of multiple fingers, but managed to escape to a neighbor’s home
• Altidore has been charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated child abuse, and violation of probation, and is being held without bond

A Florida woman is recovering from severe injuries after her own brother allegedly attacked her with a machete while she slept beside her toddler daughter. The shocking assault occurred Monday in Margate, located approximately 40 miles north of Miami.

Ruben Altidore, 36, repeatedly struck his sister with the weapon in what authorities describe as an attempt to kill her, according to an arrest report obtained by local media. The 1-year-old child was in the bed during the attack but was not physically harmed.

“Oh my God, why aren’t you dead yet?” Altidore allegedly shouted during the brutal assault, according to the police report.

Despite sustaining life-threatening injuries, the victim managed to escape the home and ran to a neighbor for help. Her desperate screams were captured on home surveillance video from the neighborhood.

“My [brother] is trying to kill me,” the woman screamed as law enforcement arrived at the scene, according to investigators.

The extent of the victim’s injuries was severe and graphic. She suffered a 10-inch wound that reached the bone on the back of her right thigh, a four-inch laceration to the back of her right hand with the possible amputation of at least four fingers, a near amputation of her left index finger and thumb, and a cut to her left palm with a near amputation of her left thumb, according to the arrest report.

The child was found lying in the blood-soaked bed following the attack but was miraculously uninjured, investigators confirmed.

Neighbor Luis Pereria described the harrowing moment the victim appeared at his door seeking help.

“She ran to the middle of the street and then ran to my front door where she was asking for help. Apparently she was sleeping when this all happened. I was just baffled by it. How can you do that?”

Crime scene investigators documented a large amount of blood inside the victim’s bedroom that was tracked through the hallway, to a bathroom door, and outside the residence. A machete sheath was discovered in the kitchen, while the weapon itself was found under a bed with what appeared to be “red smudges,” according to the report.

A cousin of the victim corroborated the account, telling investigators that Altidore had attacked his sister with a machete. Additional neighbors reported hearing the victim’s screams after she fled the home.

Altidore was arrested Monday and charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated child abuse, and violation of probation, according to Broward County jail records. He is being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

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