Boro woman, poodle hurt in pit bull attack BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - A borough resident and her poodle were attacked and injured by a neighbor's pit bull while walking on Thomas Street last week. Cheryl Napolitano, 44, was taking her dog for a walk at 6:22 p.m. Aug. 31 when the pit bull first attacked the dog and then turned to her, according to reports. A 51-yearold neighbor, Joseph Hayes, witnessed the attack and went to her aid. "If Joe hadn't been helping me out, I wouldn't be speaking to you," Napolitano said Wednesday. The dark-colored, mixed-breed pit bull bit Hayes in the chin before fleeing the scene, according to Sayreville Police Detective Kenneth Kelly. Napolitano sustained injuries to her hands, neck and face, Kelly said. The poodle suffered an injury to the neck, as well as a bite wound to the stomach that was bleeding heavily, he added. The Sayreville First Aid Squad administered first aid and transported Hayes and Napolitano to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, Kelly said. The poodle, named Parker, was transported to a local veterinarian. Joseph Scanlon, Sayreville's animal control, responded to the scene, and it was determined that the owner of the dog was 61-year-old Thomas Street resident Witold Gieszczynski. "Mr. Scanlon went to the house and ordered the dog quarantined in the house for 10 days," Kelly said. Scanlon said the pit bull, which is black and brown in color, has had all of its required shots. "It is quite large, about 75 to 100 pounds. It was loose in the backyard. It saw the poodle and it went after the poodle," Scanlon said. Further action against the pit bull or its owner has yet to be determined, according to Scanlon. "We haven't decided on that yet," Scanlon said. "We are waiting for the 10-day quarantine to come out, then we will make a decision." Napolitano said that the dog should have been on a leash. "I didn't even see him," Napolitano said. "I didn't even hear him. I looked down and it had my dog in its jaws. It bit my dog and then my leg. I was screaming at the time." She said the pit bull then jumped up and knocked Napolitano to the ground. "It bit my ear, my neck," Napolitano said. Hayes heard her screams and grabbed the pit bull by its hind legs in order to swing the pit bull off her, she said. The pit bull started to approach Hayes' wife before fleeing the scene, Napolitano said. The pit bull has only been in the neighborhood for three weeks, reportedly since Gieszczynski agreed to keep his son's dog at his Thomas Street home. In that time, Napolitano said, the pit bull went after another neighbor and her dog, and in another instance bit a different neighbor's dog. The poodle was taken to Sayrebrook Veterinary Hospital on Main Street after the attack. Napolitano said her dog underwent a $3,000 operation yesterday. She said her own MRI cost more than $1,000, and she will have other medical expenses to face as the bills arrive. "We are all worried in town. Where is this dog? I won't even walk by there. There is no fence. It is just devastating. Kids are going to go to school and they have to walk past there," Napolitano said. Napolitano's husband took off from work for two days to care for the family. "I'm having nightmares," Napolitano said. "I have young children to take care of, but my neighbors are bringing food and helping with house work." At Tuesday's Borough Council meeting, Councilman Dennis Grobelny recognized Hayes for coming to the aid of his neighbor. "I think the neighbor should be commended," Grobelny said. "As far as I am concerned, he is a hero." Mayor Kennedy O'Brien agreed with Grobelny, calling for a proclamation to be prepared for next week's meeting in recognition of Hayes' actions. "That is someone that put [his] own welfare and safety to the side," O'Brien said. Napolitano agreed that Hayes deserves praise for coming to her assistance. "For him to jump up and save my life," she said, "and he has a family too. I can't say enough for him."