Back in March 2019, one massive bull went from pet to attacker, landing its Sparta, New Jersey owner in the hospital with a number of serious cuts and bruises.
When Sparta police officers initially arrived on Houses Corner Road, it was in response to several calls regarding a cow roaming the roadway. They quickly discovered it was no docile cow.
"I saw this young bull, and many cars pulled over were trying to protect him," said an unidentified neighbor.
"He was very calm. People were petting him on his head...I had cereal in my car, believe it or not, and I fed him out of the passenger side window."
The bull's owner, Wendy McDermott, later informed officers that the bull had been acting aggressive lately and said she would try to get it back into its farm enclosure with the help of some food. On the way back to McDermott's farm, that's when the bull started acting even more aggressively, even trying to mount its owner's SUV.
"It actually mounted the hood with his front legs," Sparta police Lieutenant John Lamon said. "The bull was probably 1,100, 1,200 pounds."
Once they actually arrived at the farm, McDermott's attempt to lure the bull back into the enclosure proved wildly unsuccessful, as the bull started attacking her and throwing her around. Now in full panic mode at this point, McDermott screamed that the bull was trying to kill her and needed to be put down. That's when more responders and patrol units arrived on the scene, and after the bull charged at a patrol vehicle, two officers opened fire. The bull was killed.
"The bull started charging at our sergeant's car, and one of our officers had to put the bull down," Lamon said. "She was screaming that the bull needs to be shot."
Following initial treatment by EMS, McDermott received multiple stitches to her head and was treated for lacerations and bruising to her upper body at Newton Memorial Hospital. To be honest, she's lucky she survived the attack. It really doesn't get much more terrifying than that.
This post was originally published on March 13, 2019.