Second Rutgers Coyote Attack In Less Than A Week

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Two people have now been attacked by aggressive coyotes in a five-day span at Rutgers University, campus police confirmed to Patch. Both attacks occurred in the area of Rutgers Preserve, a heavily wooded area on the Livingston campus in Piscataway, and both happened while people were walking alone, in the dark.

While officials cannot confirm if it was the same coyote in both attacks, a coyote den was found in Rutgers Preserve and state wildlife officials are currently setting traps.

The most recent attack occurred Monday night, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.: The victim, a man who is not affiliated with Rutgers, told police he was walking on Road 3 in the area of Suttons Lane when the coyote approached him from the rear and bit his left pant leg.

Rutgers police first thought the man was affiliated with Rutgers, but he is not; he is neither a student, professor nor faculty member, said a university spokesman.

The man told police the coyote was initially aggressive, but the animal then immediately released its grip on his clothing and fled. He was evaluated by EMTs on the scene and was not injured, said police.

This happened near Rutgers Parking Lot 105.

As Patch reported, the first attack occurred last Thursday, Nov. 14: A man — this time a student at Rutgers University — said at about 4 a.m., he was walking alone on a footpath at Avenue E in the area of Hospital Road. That's when the coyote ran out of the tree line and bit him.

In that attack, the student had to be taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for his injuries.

The Rutgers Ecological Preserve is a 360- acre wooded preserve located between the Busch and Livingston campuses in Piscataway. The Livingston dorms sit only yards away from where the first attack happened.

On Friday morning, Rutgers closed all public access to the Rutgers Preserve. Officials with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife were brought in Friday to find the coyote. While they did not capture any animals, they did find the coyotes' den, News 12 reported. Officials were setting traps in the preserve as of Friday.

Rutgers campus police also increased patrols on the Livingston Campus and in the surrounding area.

First attack: Coyote Bites Man Near Rutgers Campus, Police Say