A mother is now in the hospital after she was attacked inside of a bodega where she works over the weekend.

This marks the third attack in four days on a bodega worker in the borough. Police say she was attacked by two customers that hit her over the head with a sledgehammer when she refused to give the customers a refund on a hookah they purchased.

"We are in a state of emergency, we have had attacks the last two weeks consistenly," said Fernando Mateo, president of the United Bodegas of America.

The UBA says that panic buttons could be the answer - the buttons would be installed under the counter and pressed by employees when a threat enters the place of business and instantly alert police.

Gov. Kathy Hochul promised $5 million back in April to help small businesses invest in more security - something the UBA claims they've yet to see.

Small Business Committee chair and local Councilmember Oswald Feliz says he's advocating to get up to $15 million passed in the city budget to address this concerning problem.