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Natalia Petrellese, 5, was playing in a suburban New York playground when a coyote suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Her mother, Kasey King-Petrellese said that the family tried fleeing from the wild animal, but it caught up to them. She was holding her 3-year-old son and was trying to kick and punch the animal as it viciously attacked her daughter, Natalia.
Off-duty Officer Arcangelo Liberatore was meeting his wife and two children at the park when he saw the Coyote running towards the Petrellese family. Liberatore didn’t hesitate and quickly sprang to action.
He ran towards the coyote and put his hands around the animal’s neck. He managed to get the animal off the five-year-old until Mount Pleasant police shot and killed the coyote. The officer managed to emerge from the incident unscathed. He did have to get his hand bandaged to ease the swelling after being given six rabies shots.
Natalia and Kasey were brought to the hospital where they were later given antibiotics, stitches and rabies shots.
Several other coyote attacks have happened in the area over the past few months and the authorities have urged residents to take precautions to avoid being attacked.