Fundraiser Launched To Help Man Mauled By Pitbull

CENTRAL PARK, NY — An online fundraiser was launched Thursday to help a Midtown man whom a pitbull mauled in Central Park.

Krzysztof Chodkowski and his wife, Erica, were sharing a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a bench near the park's boathouse shortly before the attack Wednesday morning, Erica said. The couple was with their 9-month-old daughter and their dog when the large white pitbull bolted up to them, she said.

The dog leapt over Erica and the baby, who was in a stroller, and bit the stay-at-home dad's right forearm, his wife said. Krzysztof went in and out of consciousness and bystanders offered him water, applied a tourniquet and rocked the screaming baby, Erica Chodkowski said.

"He came out of nowhere," she said, adding that the dog had patches of rusty brown coloring and was not neutered. "... There were no dogs there at all, so he took me completely by surprise."

Krzysztof Chodkowski was brought to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he went under a barrage of tests and got at least 30 stitches, Erica said. The GoFundMe page set up by Erica's employer aims to raise $2,500 for his medical bills. Some $375 had been donated as of Thursday evening.

Now Erica Chodkowski is on the hunt for the dog's owner, who she said left the scene of the attack after she called 911 shortly before 8:40 a.m. She described the owner as a slender man of average height who looked like he was headed to work. He was wearing trousers and a light blue shirt with stripes, she said.

"So many people were supportive and so kind about it that I feel like lots of people have their eyes out now for the dog," said Erica, who works as the director of an after-school program.

Doctors had to start treating Krzysztof for rabies right away because the owner gave no information about the dog, Erica said. He has to go back every week for a month for more shots to ward off the disease, she said.

The Columbus Circle couple usually take walks in the park two to three times a day, Erica said. The attack has not deterred Erica from the habit, she said.

"I feel like I have to overcome any fear that I have to continue to instill in my daughter a love of animals, a love of dogs," Erica said.

"I want to keep up with what it is that we do every day," she added. "I want her to see that. I want her to see New York that way."