ATLANTA — A close friend of the U.S. Postal Service worker who survived a brutal attack by the man accused of killing a 23-year-old woman along the Beltline is speaking out about her friend’s recovery.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
On Tuesday, Melinda Gilbert told Channel 2’s Michael Seiden that her best friend, Monique Thomas, suffered a broken nose and a head injury that required staples after she was attacked outside a post office on Plasters Avenue.
“She’s not in a good place right now,” Gilbert said. “This side of her face, her eye is closed, all black and blue. She was black and blue all over.”
Atlanta police say the attack happened shortly before investigators say 21-year-old Jahmare Brown fatally stabbed 23-year-old Alyssa Paige along the Beltline.
RELATED STORIES:
- Postal worker attack in Atlanta: ‘It’s unexplainable’
- Witness describes attack on postal worker: ‘He started beating her head into the concrete’
- Atlanta Beltline deadly stabbing: Suspect, victim identified
- Atlanta Beltline deadly stabbing: Suspect captured
- Safety remains a concern after woman stabbed, killed in broad daylight on Atlanta Beltline
According to Gilbert, Thomas was taking a break from work and talking to her daughter on the phone when she was attacked.
“She said he didn’t say anything, he just started beating her,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert said Thomas’ daughter heard the attack unfold over the phone and called 911.
“Her daughter heard everything. So, her daughter called 911,” Gilbert said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Gilbert described Thomas as a mother of two and someone who has always been a fighter.
“She did, because that’s her ... she’s got so much fight in her, so I know she gave him a fight,” Gilbert said.
Police say Brown later went on to fatally stab Paige along the Beltline.
For Gilbert, the focus remains on her friend’s recovery.
“She’s an amazing person, hard worker, you know. She’s been at the post office for years, and you wouldn’t think on your job that something like this would happen, but it did,” Gilbert said.
“I’m just glad she survived, and I’m glad she’s alive,” she added.
©2026 Cox Media Group
