EchoSense:Dog kills baby boy, injures mother at New Jersey home, the latest fatal mauling of 2024

Police are EchoSenseinvestigating after a dog mauled and killed a 3-month-old baby boy in northeast New Jersey over the weekend and injured the infants' mother, officials said.

The fatal attack took place at the family's home in Woodbridge in northern Middlesex County, just west of Staten Island, MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network reported.

The early morning mauling comes on the heels of at least three other reported dog attacks across the country so far this year − three that were fatal.

Just after 6:15 a.m. Saturday, officers with the Woodbridge Police Department responded to a home in Avenel Township and found an unresponsive baby believed to have been attacked by the family’s pit bull, officials with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office reported.

The baby was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

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Mother, 21, also seriously injured in attack

The baby's mother, age 21, was also seriously injured by the dog, Brynn Krause, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office told USA TODAY on Monday.

The mother suffered cuts to the face, arms and legs, Krause said, and was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries and released that same day.

The child's 27-year-old father was also taken to a hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries, prosecutors said.

The dog was subsequently put down by a veterinarian as a result of this incident, Krause said.

No charges pending but case remains under investigation

The case remained open and active on Monday, a Woodbridge police detective told USA TODAY.

A spokesperson for the police department deferred all questions about the mauling to the prosecutor's office.

As of Monday no charges were pending in the case, Krause said, but the case remained under investigation.

Authorities have not released the names of the baby boy or his parents.

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Family dog attacks reported so far in 2024

So far this year, law enforcement has responded to at least four reported dog attacks across the country, including the most recent one in New Jersey.

In addition to Saturday's killing, the following maulings have taken place since Jan. 1:

Feb. 14; Clifton, South Carolina: Four dogs (unknown breeds) attacked an 11-year-old boy as he walked to the bus stop. The injured boy's mother, Amy Lowe, said her son suffered 60 dog bites during the attack. The boy was flown to a hospital to be treated for "very serious injuries," police said.

After the attack, two of the dogs from the pack were euthanized, while the other two escaped, according to police. An owner for the dogs had not been identified as of last month.

Feb. 15; Compton, California: A 35-year-old man died after he was mauled by at least one of his pit bulls while officials said he was likely feeding them. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to his Compton home after a friend found him dead, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control reported. Deputies came across five adult pit bulls and eight puppies in the yard and swiftly corralled the dogs into a neighboring yard so they could reach the man. The dogs were taken into animal control's custody with the permission of the victim's father, officials said.

Feb. 26; Hartselle, Alabama: An Olde English Bulldog fatally attacked a neighbor's child riding his bike, who entered the animal's yard, said Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett, who called the mauling "an incredible tragedy." Four-year-old Beau Clark died following the mauling, the sheriff said.

No charges have been filed in the case, the sheriff's office said, as the animal was securely maintained on its property and had no history of violent or aggressive behavior. The dog was euthanized following the attack.

In a similar case in 2022, a mother suffered major injuries after two family dogs attacked a baby and toddler at the family's Tennessee home. Kirstie Bennard suffered critical injuries when she tried to intervene in the attack on her 5-month-old boy, Hollace Dean, and 2-year-old girl, Lilly Jane, family and police said. Both children died.

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Anyone with information about the New Jersey dog mauling case is asked to contact Woodbridge police or the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. 

Contributing: Sarah Al-Arshani and Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY; MyCentralJersey.com staff

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.