A South Jersey man is recovering in a hospital from “significant” injuries sustained in an attack by two dogs earlier this month, police said.
Meanwhile, the two pit bulls remain quarantined after attacking the 62-year-old man outside his apartment in Pleasantville, Atlantic County, on June 8, police told NJ Advance Media.
The dogs’ owner, a 47-year-old Pleasantville man, was cited for violating municipal ordinances for having a loose and vicious dog, the police report states. NJ Advance Media couldn’t immediately locate the owner for comment.
Elizabeth Rennich, 35, of Egg Harbor Township, said the man who was attacked was her stepfather. She said he was standing outside his front door at the Pleasant Manor apartments smoking around 2:52 a.m. when the dogs attacked.
At the time, the animals were chasing a rabbit when, for unknown reasons, charged at the man, according to a police report. Authorities did not say if they knew why the dogs attacked.
“It was just shocking and like horrifying to honestly see that like domesticated animals could do such a thing,” Rennich said.
Pleasantville Police Chief Stacey Schlachter said detectives don’t believe that attack was purposeful, but that the case remained under investigation. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said it is not investigating the case.
The man was taken to AtlantiCare’s hospital in Atlantic City but was transferred to Cooper University Medical Center within a few hours in “critical condition,” the police report states. At one point, he was in a coma because of injuries, police said.
The animals are required to be quarantined for 10 days, police said.
“At this time, the investigation remains ongoing in coordination with the Atlantic County Public Health Department to determine any additional public safety or regulatory actions that may be necessary,” Police Capt. Angelo Maldonado said in a statement.
Rennich said her stepfather tried to get the dogs to go away, but they kept approaching. Moments later, he jumped onto a parked pickup truck, but the dogs pulled him off the vehicle, causing him to fall to the ground, suffering a blow to the head, she said.
Immediately afterward, Rennich’s mother came outside, covering her stepfather in a blanket while they both waited for police to arrive, she said.
“This should have never happened,” Rennich said.
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Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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