Pit bull attack in Dongan Hills leaves Staten Island woman severely injured

NEW YORK -- A neighborhood barbecue in Dongan Hills marking the end of summer turned into a bloody scene Saturday afternoon when a pair of pit bulls allegedly attacked a 60-year-old woman as she crossed the street, said the victim's family.

The victim, Lucille Fundaro, had her arms and hip badly mangled. Thick chunks of flesh were ripped from the underside of her forearm, exposing her bone, and she was left screaming for her life in the middle of the street, said family members.

Moments before the incident, Ms. Fundaro, whose home in New Dorp was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy, had been attending a backyard barbecue on Dumont Avenue with friends and family.

Michael Colini, pointing to blood stains in his friend's driveway in
Dongan Hills, where a family friend was attacked by two
pit bulls Saturday afternoon. (Ryan Lavis)

She left the party around 4:30 to say hello to her friend who lives on that same street. As she crossed the block, that's when two pit bulls belonging to a neighbor who also lives on Dumont apparently attacked the unsuspecting woman, severely injuring her body. It's unclear how the dogs managed to get out onto the street.

Ms. Fundaro is currently in stable condition and recovering at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, said relatives. Police have not yet confirmed the incident, although family members said cops had responded to the scene.

"It was horrible. She was bleeding everywhere," said a family friend, Lisa Colini. "I can't believe this is happening. She's the nicest woman you could ever meet. She doesn't deserve this."

Ms. Colini and her brother, Michael, had just left the hospital where she delivered a chunk of the victim's flesh which he estimated to be about six inches deep and four inches wide. Relatives had put the torn skin on ice with the hopes that doctors could perform a skin graft.

"It was the most horrible thing I can think of, for her to have to experience this. She just went through a lot with Hurricane Sandy," he said.

Relatives said they weren't sure how the victim escaped, but she somehow managed to drag herself over to the back gate, where family members heard her screams for help. Blood stains were still trickled throughout the driveway later that evening.

"She said she was never so scared in her life," said Ms. Colini. "She was screaming for somebody to come help her. No one could hear her because everyone was in the backyard for this barbecue."

Ms. Colini said that neighbors have repeatedly asked the dog's owners to better restrain their pit bulls.

"What's it going to take? Do they have to kill one of my kids before something happens? I love animals, but this can not be," she said.

The whereabouts of the dogs was unclear tonight.

(SILive - Aug 25 2013)