Neighbors watch for ferocious rodent

(AP) – Residents of a Queens neighborhood face a serious threat.

Residents of New York City’s Rego Park neighborhood say an aggressive squirrel jumped on them and bit them in recent weeks, WCBS-TV reported Wednesday.

Micheline Frederick pointed to a bruise on her wrist where she said the squirrel landed on her and then lowered its teeth into her fingers and hand.

“We’re struggling in the snow and there’s blood all over and my fingers are being chewed and it won’t come off,” said Frederick. “In the end it just stopped and I was in a mess.”

A photo Frederick says he took after the attack shows a snowy path covered in blood.

“This was an MMA cage match! And I lost!” she added.

Two other neighbors told WCBS the squirrel jumped on it, seemingly unprovoked.

“These squirrels go after people aggressively,” said Vinati Singh.

The city’s health ministry advised neighbors to hire a licensed trapper, but the big metal traps haven’t caught any squirrels yet, the broadcaster reported.

The reason for the squirrel’s aggressive behavior – or squirrels – isn’t clear. Small rodents like squirrels rarely test positive for rabies and are not known to have passed it on to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.