Relatives Of 3-Year-Old Boy Mauled To Death By Dogs Say Family Previously Told Owners 'The Dog Is Wild'
CARTERET, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A 3-year-old boy was killed in a dog attack in New Jersey on Tuesday, and his mother remains in critical condition.
Her family is now demanding justice for the little boy.
Devastated father Tanveer Ahmed, his hood up and face covered in tears, broke down as he entered his Carteret home and saw the bright red shoes of his 3-year-old son, Aziz.
Tuesday afternoon, the little boy was mauled to death by two dogs in their backyard on Laurel Street.
Relatives say the family pleaded with the dogs' owners before.
"The mother went to the neighbor two times to let her know the dog is wild. It's out of hand. And you know, the owner laughed it off," one person said.
"It cost an innocent child his life," another relative said.
"If you're not safe in your own yard, where are you safe at?" another person said.
The family says the two pit bulls lived directly behind them in a home on Birch Street, and the dogs got under the fence.
"They dug their way in, and they weren't provoking the dog. She constantly told the neighbors that these dogs are an issue," one relative said.
Neighbor Jeet Devinder says he heard the mother's desperate cries for help as the dogs attacked her and her son.
"She was just yelling about the dogs, you know, and shouting so... I was too late," he said.
The boy was airlifted to the hospital but couldn't be saved.
Family, friends and the community are now raising money to help support Ahmed, his two surviving sons and their mother, who remains hospitalized.
"Just pray for her," one man said.
The two dogs involved were euthanized. Neither animal was registered with the town, which is required by law.
Neighbor Catherine Dougherty was surprised to hear the dogs were violent.
"They never bothered anybody. They weren't aggressive, as far as I'm concerned," she said.
But aggression was all the Ahmed family says they witnessed since they moved here about three months ago.
"This was supposed to be a fresh start for them. And how does she know that this was going to turn into her worst nightmare?" a relative said.
Middlesex County prosecutors are still investigating what led up to the attack. So far, no charges have been filed.