Former Rye Brook Village Trustee Says Son, Granddaughter Involved in Coyote Attack

Gary Zuckerman, the head of Rye Brook's Planning Board and a former Village trustee, said his son and granddaughter who were visiting from Connecticut were attacked on Sunday during a barbecue at his home.

Twenty-eight year old Jared Zuckerman and his 2-year old daughter are doing fine after the attack, said Gary Zuckerman, who is also the campaign manager for Rye Brook Together, the local political group that currently holds all five seats on the Village Board.

Zuckerman said Jared and his daughter were enjoying a barbecue in the backyard of his home on 29 Hillandale Road when they decided to go to the front of the house.

Jared and the girl were playing and sitting on a log at the end of the driveway, when Jared saw something out of the corner of his eye.

A coyote approached he and his daughter from behind and lunged at the 2-year-old girl, nipped her on the arm and drew blood, according to Gary Zuckerman. Jared then grabbed his daughter and tucked her under him, at which point the coyote bit him on the back of his upper thigh.

The coyote then followed the two victims up the driveway and into the backyard before they made it safely into the home, according to Zuckerman, who declined to give his granddaughter's name.

"My son was the real hero, because he acted so quickly to protect her and to shield her," Zuckerman said. "I'm sure the coyote looked at her as a meal and he did everything he needed to do to protect her."

Zuckerman said Jared, Jared's wife and their daughter went to Greenwich Hospital, where doctors took a DNA sample from Jared's wound. The sample will allow police to identify what coyote was involved in the attacks.

This morning Rye Brook Police said an officer shot and killed a coyote. They have not said whether it was the same animal involved in Sunday's attacks, but will hold a press conference this afternoon to inform the public. 

The attack on Zuckerman's family occurred about an hour after a coyote lunged at 14-year-old Eric Mandel on Eagles Bluff.

Mandel's mother, Susan, said she and her family and about six other families had gathered at a neighbor's house for a barbecue on Sunday. 

Several of the children were playing in the front of the house, including some younger kids who were playing tag and Eric and his 16-year-old brother, who were playing football, his mother said. 

The coyote then walked out from the back of one of the homes on Eagles Bluff. Eric thought that the coyote was going to walk past him, but it then lunged at him twice.

Eric smacked the coyote both times in the face and pushed it off. He then began screaming and waving his arms in the air before chasing the animal into the middle of the street, where it ran into a wooded area across from Eagles Bluff. 

Other adults who were attending the barbecue then came out and chased the coyote farther into the woods.

Eric was taken to Greenwich Hospital and examined by doctors. He suffered a small abrasion to his hand from fending off the coyote, but it did not puncture the skin, Mrs. Mandel said. He had no other injuries, but was given a rabies shot as a precautionary measure.

Eric will begin his freshmen year at Blind Brook High School tomorrow. 

Mandel said her son acted bravely during the attack.

"He's kind of a remarkable kid," she said. " He knew enough based on some of the other [incidents]. We've had a conversation as a family about it. We've explained the things that he should do if he ever saw one. He put all the pieces together and was able to act appropriately." 

Mandel said she was shocked when she learned of the second attack.

"It's upsetting also to know that there was another attack on another child. That was equally disturbing," she said.

Mandel said that the police have acted swiftly to protect residents, patrolling the area Sunday night and Monday, while a trapper canvassed the neighborhood in search of coyotes.

"I'm just glad the town has really taken the appropriate steps," she said.