WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Police released body camera video Wednesday of the moment they responded to a vicious fox attack on a woman from Worcester earlier this month.
On April 3, the fox was seen running out of a wooded area in the city, darting between parked cars, then biting the woman in the leg on Esther Street at approximately 7 a.m. The fox then came back around and took hold of her purse. The woman was seen running in a circle, trying to shake the animal off.
Surveillance video obtained by 7NEWS captured how the woman struggled with the wild animal, suffering bites to her hand and injuries to her back when she fell to the ground. Another woman who called 911 during the attack detailed how the fox wouldn’t let go of the victim.
“A woman’s being attacked by a coyote,” the caller said. “Is it letting go of her? No, it’s holding her, she’s on the ground.”
Neighbors rushed to help the woman trap the fox under a recycling bin until police arrived.
One officer eventually shot the fox twice, but video showed they needed to subdue it further after it ran out from underneath the bin.
“Oh, there he is, get me the bite pole,” an officer was heard saying in the video. “There he is, get the pole out of the back.”
The woman who was attacked showed police her injuries and spoke about her struggle.
“When I was fighting him I went to the floor so I was bit by him,” she said.
Worcester police said Wednesday that test results came back and confirmed the fox was rabid.
The victim told 7NEWS that she received rabies shots, and she is not surprised at the diagnosis. She said she is feeling better except for some soreness to her back.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)