Police: 2 children attacked by pit bulls in separate dog attacks in Edison

Two children were injured Friday afternoon when they were apparently attacked by loose pit bulls.
Edison police say that it was two different incidents, but it is believed that the same dogs are to blame. And police say that those dogs are still out there.
Landen Cruz, 13, is now dealing with a broken left wrist. He fell when he tried to fight off the dogs. He was also bitten on the leg and left bruised.
Cruz says that the two dogs were loose at Swales Park. He was in the park Friday afternoon playing basketball. He says that one of the dogs attacked him.
“At the moment, I felt my adrenaline kick in. I didn’t feel anything, like my wounds. I didn’t feel any of my wounds” he says.
Edison police received reports on Friday around 4:30 p.m. about the loose dogs. They say that a 9-year-old was also bitten on the arm while playing outside of his home.
“It certainly will be investigated by our Health Department to look into the circumstances leading up to the dog bites,” says Edison Police Deputy Chief Bob Dudash.
Dudash says that it is possible that the dogs escaped from where they were penned up.
But holding the owners accountable for the attacks is a challenge – even in extreme cases.
Back in March, a 3-year-old boy in Carteret was playing in his own yard when two pit bulls broke through the fence and attacked the boy. He died from his injuries.
No charges were filed in that incident. There is legislation that would require that dog owners have fences and use leashes. It would be considered a crime to recklessly allow a dog to roam free near children. State Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly is sponsoring the legislation. He says that he has received some backlash about the bill, but says that any responsible dog owner should support the move.
Cruz’s parents say that they know that his attack could have been worse. But they say that it was still traumatic.
“He was so scared because he just kept saying, ‘I didn’t know what happened and I didn’t know if they would stop,’” says mother Jalene Cruz.
The teen says that the attack seemed to have stopped when someone rounded up the dogs into a car and left. Because it is not known who the dogs belonged to, Cruz has started the first of three rabies shots. His parents say that they are upset that the owner didn’t stop to help.
“But it would be really great to know the owner and see what happened for them to at least see him, or you know, ‘I didn’t know he attacked anyone.’ It would give us closure,” Jalene says.
Anyone who may have any information about this attack is urged to contact the Edison Police Department or the Edison Health Department.