NEW JERSEY — Three women were bitten by a group of pit bulls who began fighting at a New Jersey home on Tuesday, a senior local official said. The incident sparked an emergency response which ended with two of the dogs being shot by police, they added.
Five dogs had fought inside the house located Friendship Street to Elizabeth when someone tried to pull them apart, according to town mayor Chris Bollwage. It was then that the dogs turned on this individual and the other two women.
Someone managed to call the police and responding officers shot two of the five dogs. The other three were taken away by animal control. There was no news on the condition of the hunting dogs, nor details of the women’s injuries.
All three victims were taken to hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.
A 13-year-old boy who was inside the house was also taken to hospital but is not believed to have suffered any physical injuries, Bollwage said. The mayor added that a mother pit bull and her puppies who were not involved in the fight remained at home. It was unclear why the owner had so many dogs in the house.
The Telemundo 47 helicopter showed the presence of an emergency team at the scene, with at least half a dozen police vehicles and officers cordoning off the entire area around 8:00 a.m. A yellow warning tape seemed to block off a house or two.
The place of the attack is not far from a school.
No other details were immediately available. The investigation is ongoing.