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Woman Mauled by Pit Bull on East 223rd Street

By  Dan Rivoli and Tuan Nguyen | October 2, 2012 2:44pm | Updated on October 3, 2012 2:21pm

BAYCHESTER — A 70-year-old woman was attacked by a pit bull in her East 223rd Street home Tuesday, authorities said.

The woman was bitten by the dog on her face and neck inside of 1281 E. 223rd St., near Needleham Avenue, the FDNY and NYPD said.

The victim was rushed out by paramedics minutes after the attack.

"She was covered with a white sheet with her face showing out," said one neighbor, who declined to give her name.

The woman, whose identity was not released, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

The pit bull, which neighbors said was aggressive, ran off and has not been found, an NYPD spokesman said Wednesday morning.

Michael Thompson, a next door neighbor, said the couple had two adult male and female dogs. He added that he never saw them leave the gate in front of the building.

“Sometimes they are calm," said Thompson, 23. "But sometimes they change and just start barking.”

Leila Gumby, 71, said the victim's family, to whom the dogs belonged, were upset that one of the pit bulls went on the attack.

“They’re taking it pretty hard,” said Gumby, an assistant at a senior center. “These kinds of dogs are hard to handle.”