A 3-year-old boy has died after falling out of a window at his family home and being mauled to death by the family's two pit bulls when he landed in the backyard.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in Elizabeth, New Jersey -- about 6 miles south of Newark -- when police say the boy somehow managed to fall out of a window, landed in the backyard of the family home and was subsequently and savagely attacked by the family's two dogs, according to New York City ABC station WABC.
Neighbors say that the mother immediately reacted and went to rescue her son but that it was a horrendous scene as she tried to pull the dogs off of the little boy.
"I saw the mother, she was full of blood in her hands, her shirt," neighbor Maria Rocha told WABC in an interview after the attack. "And I was like, 'what happened?' so I came here because it was full of police and she told me, 'My baby, my baby, I went to the bathroom and my baby fell out the window.'"
The little boy was rushed to Trinitas Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to WABC.
Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo, Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca and Police Director Earl Graves said the circumstances are under investigation no charges have been filed at this point.
Witnesses interviewed by WABC said that the dogs were quite aggressive and that the yard that the boy fell into was full of dog feces, motorcycles, power tools and debris.
"Whenever I would pass by the dogs would always bark," another neighbor, Angela Perez, told WABC. "You could tell they were aggressive."
Animal control responded to the scene after the ordeal, secured the dogs and transported them to another location.
Neighbors say they are in shock over the tragic death of the 3-year-old boy.
"I went to the uncle and he said the dogs got to his neck and then I pushed the baby out of the [way of] the dogs and still the dogs were [holding] his legs," Rocha described to WABC. "They killed the boy right then and there."
"I didn't sleep all night," Rocha continued. "My heart is broken. I didn't sleep all night. "I cannot believe this happened to a little 3-year-old. He's a baby. Could be mine, could be somebody else. He's a baby, and killed by dogs?"
Authorities are still investigating the incident and are urging anybody with any information pertaining to this case to contact Prosecutor's Office Detective Richard Acosta at 908-347-0404 or Detective Michael Tambini at 908-472-4301.
Said Rocha to WABC: "I just hope that he didn't suffer, you know what I mean. I hope he didn't suffer, that it was quick."
why do people keep dangerous dogs like this when they have young children...havent they the intelligence and imagination to do something more interesting than walking dogs ffs! thats if they ever do walk them
Oh but they are sooo cute! I do not understand this explosion of killer dog ownership that has occurred over the last 20 years. My insurance company has a list of 25 dogs guaranteed to raise my rates if I own one, there are even campgrounds I can't camp at if I bring one of these creatures. We have some old white lady where I live who has one that she can barely restrain when they walk, I am just waiting for the next Pit Bull or the guy with the Akita to show up and see how she fares. They are not pets, these dogs were bred to kill--besides being ugly.
bj0311 I think it relates to people buying into the BFM programming that 'guns are dangerous' BS (of course they are - so are knives, baseball bats, and water, etc.) and the BFM has them already thinking that they 'gotta get something for protection' and since they've ruled out guns, what's left?
my friend had an atika and one day she said he knows you now so i will take off its muzzle...no guesses for what happened,went for my arm..ouch! i said its good job i wasnt a child...she never spoke to me again
Reader Comments
Parents are the PITS.
RC