Man recalls raccoon attack outside NJ home: 'I could see these bright yellow eyes'

GLASSBORO, N.J. (WPVI) -- A South Jersey man is warning others to be cautious around wild animals after he was attacked by an apparent rabid raccoon Sunday morning.

The incident happened in the Elsmere section of Glassboro while Kevin Tucker was walking to his trailer.

"There was an unusual screaming, screeching sound coming from the woods about 50 feet from me," Tucker recalled. "I could see these bright yellow eyes."

Tucker said the animal suddenly charged him as he approached his home.

"I was walking to leave when a raccoon came out of the shrubbery and charged me," Tucker said. "I kind of fell backward, and I think that's when it bit the front part of my right leg."

The raccoon was eventually captured, but Tucker said not before it chased other neighbors in the area.

"He said the eyes were glassy and saliva was coming out of its mouth," Tucker said, describing what another resident told him.

Tucker did go to the hospital for evaluation.

Authorities have not released testing results or officially confirmed whether the raccoon was rabid.

Officials routinely urge residents to avoid contact with wild animals and to keep pets up to date on their vaccinations.

Anyone bitten or scratched by a wild animal should seek medical attention immediately and contact local animal control or health officials