Neighbors are wary of ferocious rodents

(AP) “Queens are facing a strange threat.”

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

Micheline Frederick showed a bruise on her wrist, where she said the squirrel landed on it and then sank her teeth into her fingers and hand.

“We fight in the snow and there’s blood everywhere and my fingers are chewed and not let go,” Frederick said. “Eventually, it stopped and there was a lot of bloody mess.”

A photo Frederick says he took after the attack shows a bloody snow-covered path.

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

Two other neighbors told WCBS that the squirrel jumped on them, apparently unprovoked.

“These squirrels are aggressively chasing people,” Vinati Singh said.

The city’s health department has advised residents to hire an authorized trap, but large metal traps have not yet caught squirrels, the broadcaster reported.

The reason for the aggressive behavior of the squirrel – or squirrels – is not clear. Small rodents, such as squirrels, are rarely positive for rabies and are not known to have been transmitted to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.