WORCESTER, Massachusetts — A 6-year-old girl can point to every single place the fox got her.
The bandages, cuts, and stitches were still fresh when Janessa Pagan-Williams described the moment the animal lunged at her on Jones Street Wednesday evening.
She was riding a friend’s bike in the backyard when it happened.
“It looked at me back and it growled at me, and it came charging at me and bit my leg and made me fall off the bike,” Janessa said. “It bit really hard. It went deep, deep, deep to the tissue.”
Her screams brought her brother running outside. He kicked the fox away before it could do more damage.
A grandmother stepped in the very next morning
Less than 24 hours later, just around the corner on Granite Street, another attack happened.
Grandmother Zena Bottom heard her daughter and infant grandchildren screaming outside. She did not hesitate.
The fox latched onto her foot and would not let go.
“I was trying to shake it off but it wouldn’t come off, so I reached down and yanked it off my foot and threw it,” Bottom said.
She had no regrets about putting herself in harm’s way.
“I’m glad it was me and not them,” she said.
Police respond, fox is put down
Worcester Police located the fox and put it down. It has since been sent to the state for rabies testing.
Both Janessa and Bottom are now receiving rabies vaccines as a precaution.
A warning for every parent and neighbor
Both victims are back home, recovering — and speaking out.
“Watch out for your children and make sure there are no wild animals around,” Bottom said.
Fox attacks on people are rare, but they do happen — especially when an animal may be rabid. A healthy fox will almost always avoid humans. Aggressive behavior like this is a warning sign that something is wrong.
If you see a fox acting strangely in your neighborhood, do not approach it. Keep children and pets indoors and call animal control immediately.
Have you seen unusual wildlife behavior in your neighborhood recently? Share what you know in the comments — it could help keep someone safe.