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Six people were attacked by three loose dogs Monday, the same animals that have terrorized a neighborhood for months, township police said.
Police released a video on Tuesday of a man squaring off against the pack of barking canines, swinging a pole and shouting as the animals advanced on him.
"Yesterday's events were horrific, and nobody should live in fear of allowing their children to play outside, walk down the street or simply get the mail," the police department said in a statement.
Police were called about reports of a dog bite around 2:15 p.m. Monday near Lake Winnipesaukee Drive. There, they found a 69-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man suffering from multiple bites, according to police. Those dogs were well-known to local residents and authorities.
“Over the course of the next hour, officers and residents frantically attempted to contain the animals as they continued to terrorize the neighborhood,” the police department said in a statement.
During the past four months, police said they were called about the same wild dogs in at least seven different complaints. The department reported a dozen confirmed cases of bites from the pack along with more unconfirmed cases.
Police said officers were able to capture the menacing dogs on Monday and brought them to animal control officials.
“The owner of these animals had been issued multiple summonses in relation to these prior incidents,” police said.
Animal control officers had removed the dogs from the owner Dec. 10, but they were “remarkably, returned to the owner at some point,” the police statement said. "The Little Egg Harbor Police Department will do everything in its power to ensure these dogs are never returned and allowed to menace this neighborhood in the future. This is an active investigation, and we will keep the community apprised of its resolution."
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