Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano says the man was sleeping in the couple's Franklin Township home when Mauvette Mattandeen sprayed an unknown chemical in his face on Friday morning. The prosecutor says while the man was washing the chemical off, his 41-year-old wife dowsed him with a pot of hot cooking oil.
The prosecutor says Mattandeen then tried to attack her husband with an ax.
He managed to flee to a neighbor and is being treated for severe burns to his head, face and torso.
Authorities are seeking Mattandeen on attempted murder and other charges.
The man's name has not been released.
