Crime & Safety
Coyote Spotted In Bergen County Town Is No Cause For Alarm, Police Say
Two months after the last reported coyote attack in Bergen County, police told residents about a sighting Friday.
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Two months after police in Saddle River said a coyote might have taken a resident's dog into the woods, police in a different Bergen County town alerted their residents to a coyote sighting on Friday.
"This morning what is believed to be a coyote was spotted in the area of Grandview Ave.," wrote police in Leonia on social media. "Coyotes can be found in all 21 counties of New Jersey and play an important role in our ecosystem. Coyotes attacks on people are extremely rare."
Back on Jan. 15, in the town of Saddle River, police said a pet dog was dragged into the woods by a coyote and hadn't been found.
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That was the fourth coyote attack in that town and the sixth in Bergen County since September.
Police said that Tyco Animal Control was notified and is investigating.
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In September, a coyote attacked two people in Saddle River who were walking their dogs. Police later captured and euthanized a coyote with rabies, a virus that attacks the nervous system and without treatment is fatal to animals and humans.
The third attack happened in October, when a man working in his backyard was bitten. That coyote was found and also tested positive for rabies.
In October, two more coyote attacks were reported in Bergen County. In one case, a coyote killed a woman's pet shih tzu in Ho-Ho-Kus. That coyote was not captured, police told Patch.
A coyote has been seen several times in Ho-Ho-Kus since then, police said on Jan. 8, in the same area where the dog was killed.
But experts say coyotes may be out because it's mating season.
"This is coyote mating season (Jan-March) in New Jersey," Saddle River police said last year. "Males can become more aggressive during mating season. Never leave pets or children outside unattended. If you have pets, walk them on a leash. Carry some form of a hazing tool, such as an air horn, whistle, or stick."
Leonia police directed residents to the state's guidance on fox and coyote sightings.
Read prior reporting: New Coyote Guidance Released In Bergen County
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