Families are concerned over the increasing number of coyote sightings in the village of Monroe in Orange County, N.Y.
Residents on Kasch Court are afraid to let their pets or their children play outside, especially after one neighbor's harrowing encounter with one of the animals.
"I was walking my dog down the street, and the coyote was out at 11:00 in the morning," said Natalie Georgio. "He saw me pick up the dog, and he showed his teeth and he started chasing after us."
Georgio said a prosective home-buyer saw what was happening, and he grabbed her and the dog and helped them into his car to escape the coyote. She called state police when she arrived home.
People in the neighborhood said the coyotes began showing up a few months ago. The sightings are not sporadic, they say; at least every other day, a coyote is spotted walking up and down the street, both during the day and at night.
Neighbor Bliss Glover said coyotes walk through the woods and cut across her yard and the street to get another part of the woods.
"I've seen up to three in our woods at once," she said.
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Georgio said her main concern was the children in the neighborhood.
"All the kids are out, we all keep our garage doors open, so all the kids are going back and forth to each other's houses," she said.
The neighbors have been reporting the coyote sighting to state police, but they haven't been told what they can do about them. State police have not responded to NBC 4 New York's requests for comment.
