Mother defends daughter from raccoon attack in Ashford

ASHFORD, CT (WFSB) – An animal control officer reports that a child was bitten by a raccoon in Ashford.

“It was wrapping its arms around my leg,” she explained. “It really hurt.”

State Police said they responded to the incident on Fitts Road to assist the officer.

Video of the incident was captured by a surveillance camera:

It happened around 7:55 a.m. Friday.

“I was walking outside to get on the bus and there was a raccoon and it tried to attack me,” said Reilly McNamara, 5, of Ashford. “It didn’t want to go off my leg.”

Reilly McNamara said she and her mother suffered a few bite marks and scratches before she was able to pull the animal away.

Panicking, Logan, Riley’s mother, screams for help.

“It’s a crazy raccoon, get some help!” Logan said.

After throwing it, the raccoon ran into the forest.

No word yet on whether the animal was rabid.

“I thought maybe he slammed his finger in the door. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a raccoon wrapped around his leg,” Logan said.

Both went to the hospital, got rabies shots and were back home within a few hours.

“We just kind of panicked at first. I was more scared than anything,” Logan said.

The neighbor, Jessica Gesse, isn’t fazed by that.

“These forests around here… I am scared of them. Here are some things. Animals, wild animals do things like that,” Jessica said.

“It’s upsetting that this would happen so close to our homes,” said Dave Frank, Ashford.

Animal control tried to capture the animal in the woods on Friday morning. However, it was not found anywhere.

McNamara can take it into his own hands by setting traps around the house.

Reilly and Logan would go back to the hospital every two days for the next two weeks to get more shots.

They McNamara also say that their children will not be allowed to go out alone in the near future.

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