Hair Salon Worker Killed After Woman Refuses to Pay $35 Manicure: Boyfriend

Hair Salon Worker Killed After Woman Refuses to Pay $35 Manicure: Boyfriend
A mother of three was killed trying to stop a customer from walking out without paying a $35 for her manicure, on Dec. 29, 2018, said police and her boyfriend. (Google Street View)
Jack Phillips
12/31/2018
Updated:
12/31/2018

A mother of three was killed trying to stop a customer from walking out without paying for a $35 for her manicure, said police and her boyfriend.

Nhu Nguyen, 53, also a grandmother of two, was working at the Crystal Nails & Spa in Las Vegas last week when a customer decided to not pay the bill after her credit card was declined, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Nguyen’s boyfriend, Sonny Chung, who is also co-manager of the salon, said the female customer told her that she was going to get some cash from her car but instead drove away.

The salon worker tried to grab the car’s rear window, but the customer kept driving and dragged Nguyen through the parking lot before speeding away, Chung said.

“My wife ran out and tried to stop her, and then she rolled forward,” Chung, told the paper. “She kept pushing the gas, and my wife fell off, and she kept pushing more, and she dragged her from here to over there [roughly 50 feet away].”

Chung was not able to reach Nguyen or slow down the car, described as a black newer-model Chevrolet Camaro. Police said the Camaro was a rental car.

“I tried to hold the car back, but I am not Superman,” he told the Review-Journal. “She ran off for $35 and killed my wife—$35 to run my wife over.”

Nguyen was taken to University Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, police said.

Chung said she spent the past decade without days off, adding that she often stayed well past closing time.

“She was a hard worker,” he noted. “That’s all she does. She’s a work addict. … She worked every day—every day—seven days a week.”

An employee who worked nearby witnessed the incident, saying he dreamt about it.

“I dreamt that she was close to me on the car, and I was trying to reach out to her, and the car took her away, it was traumatizing. It was hard,” the unnamed person told News3. “She put her life in someone’s hands, and you can’t do that. It’s not her fault, but unfortunately she had her life taken from her.”

The anonymous employee added: “His wife jumped in front of the vehicle, and that’s when the lady that was driving the Camaro put it in drive and proceeded to drive off. She fell off the hood and she dragged her, and she sped off and left her body there.”

An employee at another store said Nguyen was known as a dedicated mother to her three children.

“That does not make sense at all,” Ruri Lee told News3. “She was so nice, so nice I could tell she was a strong mother.”

Officials told the Review-Journal they believe the Camaro was stolen three weeks prior to the incident.

“We do not believe the person who originally rented the car is the suspect,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said on Dec. 30

Anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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