Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Pit Bull Killed By Cops After Attacking 9-Year-Old Girl In East Harlem


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jul 2, 2016

Modified Jul 2, 2016


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jul 2, 2016

Modified Jul 2, 2016


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Cops shot and killed a pit bull after it bit a 9-year-old girl and several others in East Harlem yesterday.

The incident occurred at around 5:45 p.m. yesterday at the Jefferson Houses on East 115th Street. The dog was apparently offleash, and latched onto the little girl. Her mother and a Good Samaritan attempted to help her, but were also bitten. "The dog was attacking him. The guy was trying to stop it from biting the little girl, but the little girl was getting attacked for a while,” a witness told CBS 2 who witnessed the incident said. “It was around eight minutes of screaming."

Two officers showed up, one of whom fired at the dog and killed it. The girl and her mother suffered serious injuries and were taken to Harlem Hospital Center, but both are expected to survive. An officer was also treated at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center after suffering a minor bite wound.

The little girl's grandmother witnessed the attack: "The grandma was on the floor screaming because she thought the dog killed her granddaughter,” a neighbor told the Daily News. "It bit her on her ribs, her arms. It was bad. It was really bad. I hope the little girl is OK." Cops have not yet located the dog's owner.

Earlier on Friday, at around 1:30 p.m. a 3-year-old girl was attacked by a pit bull at the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst. She received 17 stitches and was vaccinated for rabies. Police say the dog belonged to a local panhandler, who left the scene with the animal after the attack.

Tagged

attack

dog

east harlem

jefferson houses

pit bull


Rebecca Fishbein

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags

Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.

By

Giulia Heyward

Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET


MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says

In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."

By

Stephen Nessen

News

MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says

In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."

By

Stephen Nessen


High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial

By

David Brand

Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits

By

Caroline Lewis

Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence

By

Ramsey Khalifeh


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .