A Spring Valley, New York, man saved the lives of a baby boy and his sister Tuesday afternoon after stopping a pit bull from attacking them.
Moshe Lefkovits, who volunteers with the emergency services organization Chaverim of Rockland, rushed to the aid of a one-year-old boy held by his sister, who was being attacked by the animal.
The sister tried to free the baby boy, but the dog had its jaw locked on the infant’s clothing. At that point, Lefkovits was able to use a knife to cut the baby’s clothing and free the children from the jaws of the pit bull.
A Chaverim spokesperson told Fox News after Lefkovits called out for help that more than 20 other volunteers with the group responded.
The baby suffered from a couple of bruises from being bounced around back and forth, but he and the girl remained mostly unharmed and did not get bitten by the animal.
A bystander, Aharon ben Toiba, suffered from bite wounds to his hand and arm before Chaverim workers could find the dog. Toiba was transported to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery on his hand and arm.
The Spring Valley Police Department also responded to the attack and is searching for information about the owners of the pit bull, according to a posting from the police department’s Facebook page.
Neighbors had complained to the police about the pit bull for months, according to a report from the Jewish newspaper Hamodia.