Jeff Zimmerman (left) with daughter Kiera Zimmerman (right) and their family dog (GoFundMe).
An Arizona resident is on the mend after enduring a brutal assault while taking his dog for a walk.
On the afternoon of December 13, 71-year-old Jeff Zimmerman was strolling through a park when a man suddenly dismounted his bicycle and launched an attack on him. Fortunately, two bystanders intervened, managing to separate Zimmerman from his assailant. The elderly victim was subsequently transported to the hospital with serious injuries. According to local CBS affiliate KPHO, law enforcement has apprehended a suspect linked to the attack, though they have not yet disclosed any details to the public.
Speaking to KPHO, Zimmerman’s daughter, Kiera Zimmerman, provided updates on her father’s health and expressed gratitude to those who came to his aid, referring to him as her “ride or die.”
In an effort to help cover her father’s medical expenses, Kiera Zimmerman launched a GoFundMe campaign. She shared that her father has been battling a brain tumor for 16 years, a condition that has been exacerbated by the recent attack, which resulted in “severe head injuries, multiple broken bones, and trauma to his right eye.”
During her interview with KPHO, Kiera Zimmerman described her father as “literally my ride or die,” emphasizing his loving nature and resilience. “He really is like the most loving guy. But he’s the strongest person I’ve met in my life,” she remarked.
Kiera also revealed that her father spent four days in the intensive care unit before being moved to a trauma unit. In her GoFundMe narrative, she highlighted the significant challenges ahead, noting that Jeff Zimmerman is “in immense pain and is only at the very beginning of what will be a long and difficult recovery.”
Despite her father’s poor condition, Kiera Zimmerman said that she was “so thankful that he’s alive.” Of the couple who stepped in to help someone they did not even know, she told KPHO, “But the fact that they were like, right place, right time is literally an act of God. Like, that’s incredible. He’s okay because of these two strangers that happened to be there at the right time.”
KPHO reported that the Phoenix Police Department was working toward releasing more information about the suspect they arrested in connection with the nearly fatal attack.
