By: Richard L. Smith
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating a deadly dog attack that claimed the life of a young female child in Newark on Tuesday evening, marking the second pit bull-related incident involving severe injuries or death in the county within a week.
RLS Media learned and confirmed that the fatal attack occurred before around 9:30 p.m. in the 100 block of 2nd Avenue.
Newark Police responded after multiple 911 calls reported a girl being viciously attacked by at least one pit bull.
When officers arrived, they found the girl severely injured, with the dog continuing to maul and bite the victim. Despite emergency responders rushing the child to University Hospital, the child was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation is ongoing as detectives work to understand the circumstances that led to the dogs' violent behavior.
This incident follows a similarly horrific attack that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th, in East Orange. In that case, city officials told RLS Media that police were forced to shoot and kill a pit bull that had severely disfigured a child during an attack.
The attack happened around 7:05 p.m. at a home near the intersection of Tremont Avenue and Brookwood Street, where the dog attacked three children and an adult.
A female child (22 months) bore the brunt of the attack, suffering severe facial injuries that required surgery to repair her nose, residents told RLS Media reporters who visited the community.
That attack spilled outside the residence, where police arrived to find the pit bull continuing its violent assault. Officers used their service weapons to end the attack.
The incident remains under investigation.
As authorities continue to investigate both cases, the region faces back-to-back tragedies involving pit bulls attacking children in Essex County.