Ridgewood Raccoon At Large: After 2 Attacks, Police Provide Update

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — After a raccoon bit a 7-year-old boy and an adult in Ridgewood last weekend, police say they still haven't caught the animal.

A family was walking on a trail in Maple Park around 7 p.m. last Saturday when the raccoon attacked, Captain Glenn Ender told Patch Monday.

The raccoon bit the boy in the leg when the family was in the area of Meadowbrook and Northern Parkway.

The same day, an adult was bitten, police said.

Police and Tyco animal control were dispatched to find the animal, but he was still on the lam as of Thursday.

"We have not had any additional reports or sighting of the raccoon," Ender told Patch. "At this point we assume if the raccoon had rabies, it has succumbed to the disease."

Aggressive animals may have rabies, a virus that, when passed humans other animals, is fatal unless they are treated quickly. As a result, police have told people who have had any contact with an aggressive wild animal — even just a scratch — to contact health officials immediately so they can be treated in time.

The last sighting of the raccoon was apparently Sunday, around 2:15 p.m., when police got a report about a sick-looking raccoon crossing Meadowbrook Avenue.

"Out of an abundance of caution, residents are encouraged to remain vigilant in this area and throughout the Village," police said earlier this week.

Police encouraged these precautions:

• Do not approach, feed, or attempt to handle any wild animals.

• Keep children under close supervision when outdoors.

• Keep pets leashed and under control while outside.

• Avoid any wildlife that appears aggressive, unusually tame, disoriented, injured, or sick.

• Report sightings of aggressive or abnormal animal behavior to the Ridgewood Police Department

• If you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal, seek medical attention immediately and notify the police department.

In April, Mahwah residents received a similar warning after a beaver attacked a boy. It was caught, euthanized, and determined to have rabies, officials said.

In early May, a rabid raccoon was captured in Byram Township, in Sussex County.

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