On Wednesday, July 29, an eight-year-old girl was attacked by a fox that left her puncture wounds on her shins, ankle, and foot, reported by WABC. Thankfully, a neighbor from the New Jersey community scared the wild animal away.
WABC and WCBS-TV reported that Dylan Dratch was walking with her friend a few blocks away from her Livingston home along the neighborhood creek at around 4:45 PM when it happened. Although she thought the fox was not real at first, she ran just in case; she noticed that it kept following her. She fell and the wild animal started biting her legs.
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Neighbor bravely chased the fox away
The outlet said that neighbor Matt Nichter was playing basketball when he saw the incident. He went on to save the child after the girl received 19 bites on her legs and feet. He told the outlet that he sprinted at the animal with arms widely spread to show it that he was much bigger. Then, he chased it to make sure it left.
He explained that he knew he had a better chance of scaring the fox away than Dratch so he was not afraid. The teen told WABC that he used the ball to distract the fox so the little girl could run away to safety. Then, he carried the girl up into the front of the house after calming her down a bit.
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Stacey Dratch, Dylan's mom, brought her to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston after a neighbor called the mom. The girl's injuries were treated and on Thursday, she was sent home while recovering with bandaged wounds. Stacey said she had to remain calm for her daughter. She told WABC that she went into protection mode and tried her best not to show her daughter that she is having a breakdown.
The lifesaver
Both Dratch and her mom are immensely thankful for Nichter, who bravely jumped into action to scare the wild animal away. The girl described the teen to WABC that he is a lifesaver. Her mom added that they are very grateful for the young man because he is "god sent."
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"Extremely rare" wild animal attacks
Gary Marshuetz, Livingston Police Chief, said that while fox and coyote sightings are reportedly common in New Jersey, he said that attacks are "extremely rare." He reminds people to be cautious when they are outdoors. He said in a press conference that it was the first time in 31 years that they have had a human attack, according to WABC.
He advises people to make some noise even though such happenings might occur. He wants to remind people of the fact that wild animals have a den or home area and that they give birth to pups in spring.
Tom Smith, Livingston Police Captain, said that you just move away when you see an animal behaving oddly. He advises people to either leave the animal be or call them so they could take care of it.
