A Pennsylvania couple was charged after their toddler slipped through a barrier and was bitten near a wolf enclosure at a Hershey park zoo.
Police said the child’s parents walked roughly 25 to 30 feet away and sat on benches before getting distracted by their phones, leaving the 17-month-old unattended near the exhibit.
The toddler crawled through a small opening in a wooden perimeter fence, crossed the viewing area, and reached the primary metal barrier surrounding the gray wolf habitat.
“From the injuries sustained, it appears as though one of the wolves in the enclosure instinctively and naturally grabbed onto the child’s hand with its mouth,” police stated. “Several bystanders intervened and helped pull the child away.”
The moment turned fast as the child reached through the metal fencing, triggering the contact before nearby visitors rushed in and pulled the child back.
Carrie B. Sortor, 43, and Stephen J.B. Wilson, 61, both from Lititz, now face charges tied to endangering the welfare of a child.
Court records show both are awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 28.
Zoo officials pointed to both the design of the enclosure and basic supervision failures after reviewing the incident.
“Based on our review, an unsupervised 18-month old child was able to crawl under an exterior perimeter fence, travel to the primary metal enclosure surrounding the wolf habitat, and put his hand through that fence,” the zoo stated.
“A wolf approached and made contact with the child’s hand. This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.”
“The child was never inside the wolf’s enclosure, and we are relieved the injuries were minor,” the statement continued. “Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing.”
“Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times.”
ZooAmerica houses three gray wolves — a male named Twister and two females, Hazel and Freya — inside layered enclosures built to prevent direct contact.
The incident happened inside ZooAmerica, which operates within Hersheypark and draws heavy family traffic, especially on weekends.
🎇Honor America’s 250th Anniversary!!!🎇 Get your 2026 Heritage Foundation commemorative membership card ➡️➡️➡️ ACTIVATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
In a separate Pennsylvania case, police said three suspects left a 4-month-old baby behind inside a car during a cable theft attempt in Upper Chichester Township.
Joseph Daniels, 49, Angelina Williams, 32, and Ray Gibase, 47, face multiple charges, including theft by unlawful taking, endangering the welfare of a child, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy, and possessing instruments of crime.
Officers were dispatched around 2:15 a.m. to the 3100 block of Meetinghouse Road after reports of individuals tampering with cable lines.
Police described seeing a maroon Chrysler 300 with cable wire sticking out of the trunk and hand saws laid out on the passenger seats.
Investigators said the group had been cutting an inactive Verizon cable, targeting copper inside the wiring.
“The copper inside the cables is a hot item for the precious metals to be melted down and taken to wherever they can to get pawned,” Lt. Christopher Jones explained.
Officers secured the Chrysler and towed it to headquarters while waiting for a search warrant, believing it held evidence tied to the theft.
During a routine check of the vehicle exterior, an officer spotted movement under a blanket in the back seat.
“Once it was back here, our officers were checking the exterior of the car, and one officer noticed that a blanket in the backseat moved slightly,” Jones said.
Officers opened the vehicle and found a baby boy inside a car seat, covered by the blanket.
Police said the infant was unharmed and asleep when discovered.
The child was taken to a local hospital as a precaution and later cleared.
Investigators said the three suspects initially took off in a separate vehicle, a Jeep Liberty, as officers arrived.
Aston Police later stopped that vehicle and found Williams and Gibase inside, along with a saw blade under the passenger seat.
Williams was taken into custody and admitted involvement in the cable theft.
Gibase was released but later turned himself in to police.
Daniels, identified as the child’s father, was arrested the following day after troopers stopped him driving a maroon Chrysler and found an active arrest warrant.
Authorities have not confirmed whether that Chrysler was the same vehicle where the baby was found.
Court records show Williams is being held on $100,000 bail, Daniels on $45,000, and Gibase on $50,000.
In Southern California, a separate animal attack involving a child ended with the animal being tracked down and euthanized.
A coyote bit a 4-year-old boy and tried to drag him away in his grandparents’ driveway in an attack caught on surveillance video.
The boy, identified as Solomon, suffered seven puncture wounds to his legs and torso.
“I just hear him screaming, and I turn around, and I scream as well because I see the coyote on top of him,” his mother, Sarina Donohoo, said.
The attack happened shortly before 9 a.m. as Donohoo was unloading groceries from her vehicle.
“I was so scared because I know how bad it could have been,” she added. “My initial response was just, ‘I need to get him away.’”
The footage shows the animal lunging at the child and trying to pull him across the driveway before the mother intervened.
Wildlife officials later tied the coyote to multiple incidents in the same area.
Authorities linked the animal to at least two additional attacks reported on March 26 and March 30.
DNA testing also connected the coyote to a separate February attack on a child near an elementary school.
Officials classified the animal as a repeat offender based on the pattern.
Wildlife authorities confirmed the coyote was captured and euthanized using standard protocol for animals that attack humans.
Officials warned residents to remain vigilant as they continue tracking for additional aggressive animals in the area.
