NEW YORK – There has been another coyote sighting in New York’s Central Park.
Runner Brett Cohn said the coyote stopped him dead in his tracks Saturday morning. He was jogging along the 72nd Street transverse toward the Ramble when he spotted the coyote casually sauntering by.
“I look up, and there’s a massive coyote staring right at me,” Cohn said.
Cohn said the two locked eyes as he quickly pulled out his phone to record the creature.
“I wasn’t scared. We just kind of acknowledged each other. There was plenty of distance between us. We saw each other, realized we weren’t threatening each other and just let each other do our thing,” Cohn said.
The Parks Department said coyotes live within city limits and have been spotted in the park several times over the past few years.
“We have no reason to believe this particular coyote is unhealthy or poses a threat to human safety. However, we advise everyone to keep their distance and avoid close contact,” a spokesperson the Parks Department said.
Dogwalkers not thrilled
Following that advice would not be a problem for Katie Fogarty, who brings her son Johnny to the park several times a week. She wasn’t thrilled to hear the news.
“We’re prime coyote bait. We have an animal, we have snacks. We’re not prepared for a coyote sighting,” she said.
Other pet owners said they’ll be more aware of their surroundings in the park moving forward.
“The coyote looks very cute but obviously id be scared to actually come across one,” Jackie Retig said.
“So I would keep my distance, but we would probably be OK,” KariAnn Assur said.
As for Cohn, he says he’ll be back out there running the same route.
