“The little boy was hurting so I had to go in there and see what was wrong," said Riley, 48.
But first, he grabbed a wood plank. "I jumped the fence, went in, fought the dogs off and got the little boy," he told reporters Monday evening.
Riley said he brought the boy out of the house and across the street to a fire station, then went back for two other kids who were upstairs in the house in the 7300 block of South Kingston Avenue.
The boy suffered puncture wounds to his ears, neck, torso and legs, but police said his injuries were not life-threatening. He was being treated at Comer Children's Hospital.
Fire officials credited Riley with saving the boy's life.
"There was a neighbor that walked by, jumped over the fence, wrestled the dogs, basically ripped the dog away from the child, and then got back through the fence and probably saved the baby's life," said Fire Capt. Bob Martin.
Neighbors said the boy was visiting the home when he was attacked in the dining room around 3:30 p.m.
“I don’t know them people all that good," Riley said. "So I didn’t want to just go in the house. But since the baby was crying, I just went in the house. I had to.”
(Chicago Tribune - June 4, 2013)
