New Jersey police said that an 18-month-old child was mauled to death by a dog while in the care of a teenager at a Newark residence Tuesday evening.
Police said the girl had wandered away from the babysitter and encountered one of their four dogs, a pit bull, at the home on Second Ave.
The child was transported to University Hospital after the mauling with critical injuries. She was later declared dead at about 7 p.m. according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
The four dogs were removed from the home, and police are trying to determine whether only one dog attacked the child or whether any of the other dogs were involved. They were placed into quarantine with Newark Animal Control.
"The investigation is continuing, and the official cause and manner of death will be determined by an autopsy," said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly.
The distraught family asked for privacy as they deal with the tragic incident.
"I seen that amount of police, I really got worried because it was a lot of commotion going on," said a neighbor to WCBS-TV. "I couldn't do anything about it because I couldn't see."
Pit bulls account for more dog bites in the U.S. than any other breed, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. They also account for more lethal dog attacks than any other breed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
