Carteret In Stunned Mourning After Boy, 3, Killed By 2 Pit Bulls

CARTERET, NJ — The community of Carteret is in deep mourning after a three-year-old boy was killed by a pair of pit bulls Tuesday afternoon, and his mother was badly injured in the attack as well. She remains hospitalized.

The attack happened at around 5 p.m. in the backyard of a home on Laurel Street. The family that was attacked had just moved to the home a few months ago, said neighbors. They are a mother, father and three young boys. Neighbors recalled seeing the three children often playing in the front yard.

According to Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, the two pit bulls lived in a house on Birch Street, behind where the attack happened. The dogs somehow got out, and into the fenced-in backyard where the boy, 3, and his mother were. The dogs attacked both the boy and his mom. The mom was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where she remains, friends and neighbors say.

Her son was so badly injured he had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital, but he died of his injuries Tuesday night, said the mayor.

Neighbors on Laurel Street said they are horrified and some broke down crying when interviewed by Patch Wednesday morning.

"It wasn't quite dark yet and I was in my home," said neighbor Steve Koch, 61. "I heard a single loud bang. I went outside and saw all the cop cars and ambulances. I saw an adult being carried out on a stretcher."

Koch said he thinks the "bang" was Carteret police shooting one of the dogs. Carteret Police Chief Dennis McFadden confirmed that both dogs were euthanized.

Koch said another neighbor told him he had seen the injured boy, and speculated to him that "the child wouldn't make it."

Original Patch report: Pair Of Pit Bulls Kill 3-Year-Old Child At Carteret Home

The owners of the two pit bulls have not been identified by the town. But according to municipal records from the Carteret Board of Health, the dogs were not registered with the town, as is required by law, said Mayor Reiman.

Jack Beyda, a longtime co-worker of the deceased boy's father, showed up outside their home Wednesday to pay his respects.

His eyes were red and watery from tears.

"I worked with him for over 12 years. They are from Pakistan originally and he's a great family guy. He has three little boys," said Beyda of the boy's father. "He's very, very hardworking. He works very hard to provide for his family and he saved up enough money to move out here from Brooklyn; he saved up enough to buy this little house."

The boy's father works in management for Coney Island Auto Parts, and works out of their Carteret warehouse, he said. The father was at the warehouse when the attack occurred, said Beyda, who himself works in sales for the company.

"He got the call and rushed home ..." he trailed off. "I went around to all our clients this morning and people have been giving money to pay for the funeral," he said, and broke down crying. "One company gave us $200."

"I'm too upset to talk about it," said another neighbor who lives across the street.

Another resident, Sonja Hall, said she no longer walks her two small dogs at night because she's seen pit bulls running loose in the neighborhood before.

"I can't see them coming in the dark," she said. "I'm scared; I make my husband walk them. I'm heartbroken for this family."

"As a small community, our Carteret family mourns the heart-wrenching loss of our young neighbor and we pray for this young mother and family in this time of unimaginable grief," said Mayor Reiman.

Anyone wishing to make a monetary donation to the family to help with expenses can donate to Carteret's 501c3 Charity Trust Fund, through the following link: https://carteret-charity-trust...

Checks may also be mailed to Charity Trust Fund at Carteret Borough Hall 61 Cooke Ave. Carteret NJ 07008 or dropped in the lock box in front of the building. All of the money raised will be provided to the family for medical care and funeral expenses, said Reiman.

The Carteret Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office will continue their investigation and can be reached at 732-541-4181 (CPD) and 732-745-3300 (the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office).

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