BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Boynton Beach woman and her neighbors are shaken but grateful after a frightening encounter with a coyote on Mayfair Lane ended with a dramatic rescue.
Surveillance video shows the moment a coyote charged at three small dogs in the Boynton Lakes community, as Sandra Ciminelli walked them outside Friday morning.
WATCH: Neighbors help dog that was dragged off by coyote
“She was taking her dogs out on the lawn and apparently the coyote had either been stalking them already and came after the dogs,” said Robert Duran, a Boynton Beach resident.
Video captures Ciminelli screaming and running after her dogs as one is grabbed and carried off by the coyote.
“And then I saw her chasing and holding onto her dog and this coyote dragging it,” said Mario Colonbrito, another neighbor who witnessed the attack.
Colonbrito says he quickly jumped in to help while Ciminelli tried to pull her dog free.
“I was throwing some rocks at it—and then as she’s holding the dog—and I just grabbed a bunch of sand and dirt and I just kept throwing it in his eyes and eyes. He finally let go,” Colonbrito said.
Ciminelli’s injured dog was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic and is now recovering. The Boynton Beach resident was too shaken to speak on camera, but all three of her pets survived.
Duran described the moment as heart pounding.
"I was terrified, I was completely shocked at the fact that a coyote was attacking these small dogs,” he said.
Colonbrito said the attack left the neighborhood rattled.
“It was like on a tear,” he said.
Despite his fears, he says instincts took over.
“I just went into action. I didn’t think this and that, but it didn’t run away. I’ve never confronted a coyote with my bare hands, but I did,” Colonbrito said.
Duran credited his neighbor’s bravery for saving the dog’s life.
“I think thanks to him that’s the reason we still have her pet Molly,” he said.
Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalists to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
