She ran out to the living room to see her then-boyfriend, James Wertz, choking her pet rabbit, Bun Bun. He dropped the animal and tried to apologize, but the damage had been done.
Now, Bun Bun and her other pet rabbit, Maxine, are recovering from injuries inflicted in the attack, and Jongeward said she is moving on from the relationship.
"It's over," she said Tuesday. "It's beyond over."
Wertz didn't yet have that same freedom to decide his next step on Tuesday night. Court records show he remained in custody in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bail, charged with cruelty to animals and domestic battery.
According to a Boynton Beach police arrest report, Wertz, 28, and Jongeward, 25, were arguing about women's rights just before 11:40 p.m. on Friday at their shared residence in the 1100 block of Lake Terrace in Boynton Beach.
In an interview Tuesday, Jongeward said that Wertz was telling her it's man's world, a stance she was challenging. The argument flared, and Jongeward went to her bedroom to get away from Wertz, according to the arrest report. She said she was through with the relationship.
Jongeward said her two pets are both 9 months old and weigh about a 1-1/2 pounds each. Instead of sitting all day in a cage, they are allowed to roam freely in the house. Jongeward said they are affectionate, emit purring-like sounds when they are happy, and like to follow her into the kitchen for their favorite treat, marshmallows.
On Friday night, however, the animals' sense of security was shattered when Wertz attacked the pets, she said. One of them began screaming; she isn't certain which one because she was in the bedroom.
According to the police report, Jongeward witnessed Wertz abusing Bun Bun.
She said that Wertz punched and choked Bun Bun to the point that blood was coming from the rabbit's eyes.
"It was shocking, the most horrible thing I could walk out of the bedroom to see," she said.
After Jongeward confronted Wertz and he dropped Bun Bun, she grabbed her pets and tried to keep him away from them.
Wertz, seeing Jongeward calling 911, "grabbed her and threw her across the room," according to the arrest. Then he left.
Police arrived and tried to find Wertz but couldn't. He was arrested on Saturday, records show.
Jongeward took the rabbits to an emergency animal doctor. Bun Bun suffered burst blood vessels in her eyes, and Jongeward doesn't know if the animal will ever regain her full vision.
As for Maxine, she suffered soft-tissue trauma. Both rabbits are being treated with painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
"I just can't believe it happened," she said. "It's just disgusting."
(Sun Sentinel - July 1, 2014)
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