Infant killed, mother injured in multi-victim family dog attack in Woodbridge.
Pit Bull Confirmed
UPDATE 03/11/24: On Monday, the prosecutor's office confirmed with News 12 New Jersey and WKXW that the dog involved in the deadly attack was a family pit bull. On Saturday, the dog attacked a 3-month old baby boy, killing him, and attacked his mother at their home on Mereline Avenue. The pit bull has been euthanized. The baby's mother has been released from the hospital. Middlesex County prosecutors said the family's name is not being released. No criminal charges will be filed.
Also, CBS News anchor Carissa Lawson, who formerly worked for News 12 New Jersey for over a decade, posted to Facebook that "a couple at my church knows the family and told us the entire story." The baby was not left alone with the dog, she wrote. "The dog went into baby’s room while everyone was asleep. The mother heard the baby screaming and went in to try to save her baby and that’s when the dog tried to kill her, too." Her LinkedIn page states she left News 12 in June 2023.
"The coincidence now is that I found out this morning that a couple at my church knows the family and told us the entire story. We were all crying. The baby was not left alone with the dog. The dog went into baby’s room while everyone was asleep. The mother heard the baby screaming and went in to try to save her baby and that’s when the dog tried to kill her, too. The father, who owned the dog prior, was able to stop the attack, but he was injured, too. The dog was not treated poorly. The dog was dearly loved. And yes -- the dog was a pit bull." - CBS News anchor Carissa Lawson
03/10/24: Baby Killed, Mother Injured
Woodbridge, NJ - An infant is dead and his mother seriously injured after a multi-victim "family" dog attack Saturday morning. Authorities were dispatched to a home on Mereline Avenue in Woodbridge Township at about 6:17 am in response to a 911 call that reported a baby had been attacked by a dog. Upon arrival, police found the baby and the mother had sustained serious injuries. The infant was pronounced dead at the scene. The mother was taken to a hospital, where the father joined her.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone issued a statement to media notifying them of the attack, but it did not include the baby's age or identify the family. No dog breed information was provided either. Ciccone is memorable, as it was her office that did not pursue charges after a pair of pit bulls breached a fence-line in 2021 and killed 3-year old Aziz Ahmed and critically injured his mother while they were inside their own yard. The boy suffered "total evisceration" injuries.
We had no kind words for her then about how she issued her prosecution decision: "Ciccone, however, never contacted Aziz's family before issuing her decision in emails to private citizens on March 23. Lacking in courage and courtesy, Ciccone also did not hold a press conference about her decision, which would have forced her to face media and public scrutiny," we wrote. "Ciccone's actions are so sheepish and cowardly, they are literally 'beyond the pale.' Our hearts go out to Aziz's family."
Multi-Victim Fatal Dog Attacks
Now Ciccone faces another multi-victim dog attack involving a dead child and critically injured mother. This time, however, the "family" dog was the perpetrator. It was also a "single family" dog that instigated the attack not a "pair" of unfamiliar pit bulls. What types of dog breeds inflict multi-victim attacks resulting in death? During the pre/post Covid 4-year period of 2020 to 2023, multi-victim attacks involved 15% of all dog bite fatalities (33/215). 73% (24) were carried out by pit bulls.
Eight dog breeds were involved in 1 death. Only pit bulls (24 deaths), rottweilers (2 deaths) and American bulldogs (2 deaths) were involved in multiple deaths. While multi-victim attacks resulting in at least 1 human death can be a "rampage" attack, like when two family pit bulls killed two children in Tennessee and critically injured their mother, we only require that the injury sustained by the other victim(s) was consequential, requiring treatment by a professional at the scene or at a hospital.
We also looked at multi-victim attacks resulting in death inflicted by a family dog during this period, and within this subset, a single family dog being the perpetrator. Of the 33 multi-victim attacks involving at least 1 human death, over half, 55% (18) involved family dogs as perpetrators. 72% (13/18) were inflicted by family pit bulls. Of the 18 multi-victim attacks involving family dogs, 56% (10) were carried about by a single family dog. 70% of these attacks were inflicted by a single family pit bull.
Breeds of dogs Involved in multi-victim dog attacks resulting in death (2020-2023). Several attacks involved multiple breeds, thus producing a death count total of 36 rather than 33.
After a person who knows the mother admitted it was a pit bull, the comment was removed.
Related articles:
10/11/22: 2022 Double Dog Bite Fatality: Pair of Family XL Pit Bulls Kill Two Children, Injure...
03/30/21: 2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Boy Killed, Mother Severely Injured in Violent Pit Bull Attack...
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Why was there a dangerous dog in a household with a baby? Why was there no one in the household who could control the dog? I guess the dog made all the decisions. It does sound like the mother was with the baby, but why couldn’t she control the dog?
These dogs are uncontrollable when they flip, which is why they should NOT be pets and need to be banned.
I am a “former” C.I.A. employee. I lived in Maryland 16 years. The baby killed in Avenel is in my township. I emailed the mayor of Woodbridge last summer and told him about the proliferation of pits just in my neighborhood. Then the baby got killed. I have a woman now who has a pitbull she can’t control. She walks past my house every day and I live 1 block from a middle school. The dog has “locked on” me twice. The next time, I’n going to shoot his ass dead! Pitbulls are vicious, uncontrollable weapons and people(police, mayors, animal control DO NOT taje it seriously! I don’t care! I am NOT getting bitten by anyone’s dog.
We all knew it was a pit before that Facebook post. I’ll never understand how people can feel safe with one of these fighting breed creatures in their homes, especially when they have babies/young children. I grew up with a miniature poodle…
But, wait! It was a [blank] staff terrier! Had to have been one of those evil Falstaff terriers!
Sarcasm off.
I wish this evil would end. These dogs are like a disease.
Of course the fb comment was removed, the majority of ppl these days seem to be allergic to the truth. That poor innocent baby. It gets harder over time for me to feel bad for the parents. There is a ton of info out there, before even getting a greyhound I did a lot of research to make sure they would be ok with my young children.
I think the family also doesn’t want the breed known because it affects e-begging on gofundme. Which, the description on the site calls it “a dog attack.” Should have said, at a minimum, “their dog attacking.” Instead, they leave culpability up in the air and shift blame away from their poor choices.
Trying to educate people just draws ire. People prefer to be clueless.
A couple on an Airstream page just posted how they are fostering 2 pit bulls for a shelter, in their airstream with them. I recommended they check out this site as shelters often do not disclose histories.
I am awaiting the “it is not the breed, it is how they are raised”. If that were true, then no pits should be fostered or adopted from shelters because you have NO IDEA how they were raised.
2 pits in an Airstream?
Oh my.
Even if they don’t kill anyone they will absolutely destroy the camper.
When the inevitable happens, the dogs will be quietly abandoned at a new shelter for some other lucky people to adopt!
Wash – Rinse – Repeat
98% of dogs in the Memphis shelters are pit bulls roaming the streets.
And they use so many different names for them when basically they are from the stock that was bred to first grab bulls and be game enough to not release then for illegal dog fighting where they showed none of the normal things dogs due to avoid a fight. Pit Bull, American Bully, Staffordshire Terrier, they were even calling the Dade County terriers at shelters when there was a pit bull ban.
I don’t understand why people choose to own a pitbull as a family dog most of everyone already know pitbull are dangerous breed.it doesn’t matter the love and patience you put to train it to be good some will snap and killed.poor baby have to died a painful death because her parents dog breed of choice.now their daughter is dead because her parents choose a pit bull as a pet they missed the opportunity to watch her grow up missed her first word her crawling her learning to walk and talk.
It has been confirmed in the press that the dog was a pit bull and it has been euthanized by a vet.
Mom was injured, dad was not. Mom has been released from the hospital.
Ciccone calls it a “tragic incident”.
Yesterday I was watching “funny pet videos” the other day. A lot of bully breeds and infants and toddlers. The problem is they seem fine and then they’re not. Actually back in the day, people did not
put small children in the face of any dog for that reason.
What does it take to get people to understand that pitbulls are extremely dangerous nanny dogs? It doesn’t surprise me that most people do not recognize the signs that the dog will eat the baby. I wish more people could be educated about the danger signs. How do we change this? I guess we won’t be able to find out if the dog was a rescue or raised in the home. Sex? Altered or not?
Here’s my problem with “see the signs” logic.
Pitbulls ARE the sign.
The problem with “seeing the danger signs” logic is that nobody has their eyes on a dog 24/7–it’s impossible. So, while the parent is picking up that toy, or making the bed, or whatever if the dog gives off “signs” and in that moment, the miss it–the next time there might be no signs, just a mauling. Most dogs will warn numerous times. Pitbulls often don’t warn, at all.
It’s like when I watch people walking a large dog, pitbull or otherwise and it is criss-crossing ahead of them.
That’s hunting behaviour. The owners don’t know it and they don’t see it nor do they stop it. While a Jack Russell might just be hunting the local squirrels, or a Labrador is hoping to retrieve dead game (or find stale doughnut crumbs)–there’s no way of knowing if that’s what a pitbull is doing.
It may hunting for other dogs or humans–since their genetic instincts to hunt other dogs and humans is inbred. Since owners aren’t psychic, the simplest solution to this is ban pitbulls.
Since we can’t know the history of the dog in a shelter/rescue and most dogs even if abused are still human-friendly afterwards, again, the solution is ban pitbulls.
Pitbulls are like grenades with broken pins. Nobody in the general public needs one. Life will go on just fine, without them.
If they were all replaced with beagles tomorrow we’d just be stuck with a lot of annoying yodelling which I think we’d all prefer over death and dismemberment.
This comment goes before :
– Most likely a pitbull – ( there were some angry reactions )
Then I read the most terrifying words, I can’t even imagine what that was like in real life !
…..
“The dog went into baby’s room while everyone was asleep. The mother heard the baby screaming and went in to try to save her baby and that’s when the dog tried to kill her, too.” !!!!
And then this comment !!!! :
(to )Carissa Lawson, News Anchor ,
ty everyone hears about. These stories and think automatically pitbull. Sad”
Sad – and tragic is the opposite!
A baby was just murdered and the first reaction is to hide the shitty breed that once again acted according to its long known breed specifics behaviors.
SMH
the reality is the level of inbreeding they did with those dogs ‘back in the day ‘ locked in deleterious genes ,any other breed clubs disallow inbreeding NOT UKC its perfectly fine create a monster and we will give you reg papers and even a Championship.
Please tell me which clubs don’t allow inbreeding. AKC certainly does.
A fellow had worked for a pet shop for several years and was the top puppy seller. He told me that no inbreeding was allowed in the kennel, bitches were only bred once yearly and bitches were
allowed to have only three litters in a lifetime. This man was going to see the kennel. I told him I wanted to talk to him after the visit. He never walked into that pet shop again. I knew he had been lied to.
My point is this. Dogsbite.org is about dangerous dogs and dog attacks. No one really knows how kennel clubs operate and they have absolutely nothing to do with dog bites. There is no one in the Universe who can identify an inbred dog by looking at it. Nor does inbreeding make dogs dangerous biters. We have more important responsibilities.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-mother-seen-video-fighting-pit-bull-attacked-toddler
Pitbull modus operandi ( that is how they jump to kill your kid , out of the blue )
Scary video. If that Mother had not been so quick and brave, the outcome could have been another child fatality by pit bull.
No provocation whatsoever. Rushes in to make the kill. Just sickening to see a dog act like that.
I seriously doubt that dog is a stray. No one will be held accountable.
For whatever reason, that pitbull intended to kill that child. It didn’t seem to
want the mom
for dinner, just the child. Thankfully Mom was tougher than the pitbull.
Wow! That pit looks happy as can be attacking and trying to get to that toddler. Not phased whatsoever by the kicks, hits or screaming by the mom.
I was reading recent research on dog bites/ maulings to children and the authors say that pit bulls are responsible for the most serious dog bites but go onto claim that ” intensive training” reduced the odds of a pit bull mauling people. Hasn’t there been several people who were dog trainers mauled to death by these horrible monsters? Isn’t it unlikely to prevent a pit bull in a killing mood to tell them to sit and stay no matter how much training they’ve had? I have a young lab that I have barely had to spend much time training who behaves far better than other dogs including cocker spaniels. So isn’t the truth that the degree the dog responds to training an inheritable trait? Are pit bulls biddable or easily trained like a border Collie or even a lab?