November 23, 2021, 3:55 a.m.Updated 2 hours ago
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Two children were injured on Friday afternoon when they were apparently attacked by loose pit bulls.
Edison Police say the incidents were two different, but the same dogs are believed to be to blame. And the police say those dogs are still out there.
Landen Cruz, 13, is now struggling with a broken left wrist. He fell while trying to fend off the dogs. He was also bitten in the leg and left bruises.
Cruz says the two dogs were roaming free in Swales Park. He was in the park on Friday afternoon playing basketball. He says that one of the dogs attacked him.
“At the moment I felt my adrenaline kick in. I didn’t feel anything like my wounds. I didn’t feel any of my wounds, ”he says.
Edison Police received reports of the dogs roaming free around 4:30 p.m. Friday. They say a 9-year-old was also bitten on the arm while playing outside his home.
“Our Department of Health will certainly be investigating to investigate the circumstances that led to the dog bites,” said Bob Dudash, Edison deputy chief of police.
Dudash says it is possible the dogs escaped from where they were penned.
But holding the owners accountable for the attacks is a challenge – even in extreme cases.
In March, a three-year-old boy in Carteret was playing in his own backyard when two pit bulls broke through the fence and attacked the boy. He died from his injuries.
No charges were brought in this incident. There are laws in place that require dog owners to have fences and use leashes. It would be a crime to allow a dog to roam freely around children. State Representative Benjie Wimberly supports the legislation. He says he has received some backlash regarding the bill, but says that every responsible dog owner should support the move.
Cruz’s parents say they know his attack could have turned out worse. But they say it was still traumatic.
“He was so scared because he kept saying, ‘I didn’t know what happened and I didn’t know if they were going to stop,’” says mother Jalene Cruz.
The teenager says the attack apparently stopped when someone drove the dogs into a car and drove away. Since it is not known who the dogs belonged to, Cruz has started the first of three rabies vaccinations. His parents say they are upset that the owner didn’t stop helping.
“But it would be really great to know the owner and see what happened so they can at least see him, or do you know, ‘I didn’t know he attacked anyone.’ It would bring us to a close, ”says Jalene.
Anyone with information about this attack is urged to contact the Edison Police Department or the Edison Health Department.
