NJ 5-year-old attacked by pit bull back home with bandages, shots, stitches

The Bayonne girl attacked by a pitbull is back home, bandaged, after getting four shots and stitches, the Jersey Journal reports

"I was going to take her to school. I (had) just come through my house. Not even five seconds, I see the dog come from the next house flying to us, and tried to bite my daughter," Safwat Shnouda said of his 5-years-old daughter, Despina, according to the report. "I tried to protect my daughter."

Mayor James Davis had previously described the girl as 4-years-old in a statement of support for the girl and those who heled herl.

The Jersey Journal previously reported police shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked four people, leaving them with minor injuries. It quoted a neighbor saying the dog went straight for a young child, biting her, getting a hold of her head.

The witness also reportedly said he and three other men — a school bus assistant, the girl's father, and the owner of the pit bull — struggled to free her.

“I commend the actions of the school bus attendant, the victim’s father, the owner of the dog, and the swift action of the off-duty police officer that brought this serious situation to an end, adverting a potential tragedy," Davis said in a statement sent to New Jersey 101.5. "My thoughts and prayers are with the victim and those who suffered injuries as a result of this incident. I wish them a speedy recovery.”

Last month, police were forced to shoot and kill a pit bull after an 11-year-old boy called 911 as the family’s pit bull terrier attacked his parents in Paterson. Earlier this month, a 13-year-old girl and her grandmother were injured after two family dogs — a pit bull and a boxer — went after another family pet, and then the two people in South Brunswick.