A 65-year-old man is home recovering after he was allegedly brutally attacked by his neighbor in Fort Lauderdale. His daughter said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nichelle Toylar said she got a call March 8 that someone was attacking her dad at their home on Northeast 51st Street in Fort Lauderdale. She had one thought on her mind as she walked into her apartment.
"I hope my dad's alive,” Toylar said.
When she got there, she saw the front window was shattered and the inside of their apartment was a complete mess.
"Glass throughout the apartment, there was blood spatter all over the floors and walls,” Toylar said.
Fort Lauderdale Police said the man responsible was their neighbor, Nebojsa Radulovic.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Toylar said her dad Ayhan Toylar was sitting outside with his front door open when a woman ran inside the apartment. Court documents said when he told her to get out, Radulovic came in with a knife and attacked Ayhan Toylar, hitting him with a fire extinguisher and cutting him several times.
"Skull fractures, he's got cervical spine fractures, a fractured shoulder and collarbone, multiple rib fractures, so many lacerations from his ears down to his lower ribs," Toylar's daughter said.
Court documents said another neighbor came over to help and was able to lock Radulovic out of the apartment.
Local
Cell phone video shows Radulovic yelling and using a chair to break down the door. At one point, he grabs the knife and swings it toward another man.
Police said Radulovic tried to get back inside the apartment. That’s when he broke the front window and started attacking the neighbor.
The arrest report said Radulovic cut the neighbor several times with the knife. Police later arrested him.
Toylar said they believe Radulovic was chasing the woman who ran inside their home and her dad was in the way.
"I was up until six in the morning hoping my neighbor didn't just murder my dad,” Nichelle Toylar said.
Toylar is home now but has a long road to recovery. His daughter just wants to know why this happened.
"This is a safe area, but the fact that it was a neighbor, I feel, makes it worse instead of a random stranger — it feels worse,” she said.
Radulovic is still in the Broward County jail on several charges, including aggravated battery.
Toylar hopes the community will help her dad get back on his feet. A family friend created a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
