Twenty-three year-old Caroline Malia says she was ringing the door around 9 a.m. at the home where she baby sits when an animal she first thought was a large cat started attacking her legs.
The Independent Press reports that next-door neighbor John Hamilton heard Malia screaming and ran to help her.
Hamilton was bitten on the hand when he threw the animal against a car.
Members of the Madison police department responded, located the animal and shot it dead.
Its carcass is being tested for rabies.
The two victims were treated at a local hospital.
___
Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/starledger