Man, 3 children injured when dog attacks them in parking lot

Authorities say a dog attacked and bit three children and a man in a McDonald’s parking lot in Newark.

The attack occurred around 8 a.m. Thursday when the German shepherd dashed out of a nearby gate and began running loose near the restaurant located on Elmwood and Broadway. Several children were eating breakfast at the McDonald’s at the time.

A witness told News 12 New Jersey that the dog was attacking anything in its path.

“As people were walking by, he was just biting everything. But when he grabbed the little girl, that’s what made me run off the back of the truck and go over there and I started throwing bottles at him and everything to get him off,” said Al Miller.

The three children - ages 9, 11 and 12 - were walking to school at the time. They and the man - who authorities say was a bystander who tried to stop the attack - were all treated at a hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The victims' names were not released.

Surveillance video obtained by News 12 shows the dog inside a supermarket across the street from the McDonald’s. It was unclear if the footage was from before or after the attack.

The dog followed more children to nearby Luis Munoz Marin Middle School, where animal control officers seized the dog. The dog’s owner was at the scene when they arrived. It's not clear what charges the dog's owner may face.

The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.