Reported by us | Kingston

Kingston warns walkers after coyote bites man near Hillcrest Road trails

Police and animal control ask people near Hillcrest Road and the Jones River to carry pepper spray, keep dogs leashed or skip the walking path for now, and the coyote had not been found as of Thursday.

By the South Shore 360 Public Safety Desk | Published Nov. 15, 2026 | Last verified Nov. 15, 2026, 11:57 a.m. ET

Kingston police and animal control are asking people who use the walking path off Hillcrest Road, near the Jones River, to carry pepper spray, keep dogs on a leash or stay away from the area for now, after a coyote bit a man doing yard work there Tuesday. As of Thursday, police said, the coyote had not been found.

The bite happened about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at a home near Hillcrest Road in a wooded area, Kingston Police Sgt. Ryan Calter told The Boston Globe. Police Chief Brian Holmes said the man was using a leaf blower in his yard when the animal came at him. "The coyote ran out of the woods line and started attacking his leg," Holmes told NBC Boston.

Calter said the man had "very minor injuries," sought medical attention and received a rabies shot, the Globe reported. The man drove himself to the hospital, police told Boston 25 News.

Kingston Animal Control posted a warning on its Facebook page that afternoon: "PSA: There has been a report of an aggressive coyote on Hillcrest St that allegedly attacked a person today." The post said people in the area often walk their dogs on nearby trails and asked them to "please use extreme caution." A second animal control post advised, "Carry pepper spray, keep your dogs on a leash, or avoid the area all together," The Enterprise reported. Animal control also asked people to stay alert and keep dogs leashed, especially around dawn and dusk, WBZ NewsRadio reported.

The coyote has not been found

Animal control officers and police searched Tuesday but could not find the coyote, Calter told the Globe. Since then, he said, police have had a few more reports of coyote sightings, with no other attacks.

Holmes said the animal looked unwell, telling Boston 25 News, "This one I guess looked kind of mangy, looked kind of sick." Officials won't know for sure whether it has rabies unless it is found, Calter told the Globe.

The Massachusetts Environmental Police assessed the area and tried to find the coyote, Holmes told Boston 25 News, and NBC Boston reported the Environmental Police were alerted Wednesday and have patrolled since. As of Thursday, Nov. 12, no new sightings had been reported to the Environmental Police, according to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Boston 25 News reported.

Calter said markers were put up to warn people using the trail where the bite happened. Signs on Hillcrest Road urge walkers to carry pepper spray, keep pets leashed and avoid the walking path, Boston 25 News reported. WBZ NewsRadio and 95.9 WATD reported that the bite happened on Hillcrest Road by the Jones River, and WATD carried the police warning again Sunday morning, Nov. 15.

Don't hunt it, police say

Holmes asked residents not to hunt the coyote. "Certainly, anybody who is legally lawfully and licensed to carry a firearm should not be hunting for the coyotes," he told Boston 25 News. Holmes said residents should not take matters into their own hands if they spot the animal.

How to report a sighting

"We are asking for the public's help, just to reach out if they see the coyote," Holmes told Boston 25 News.

Kingston police business line: 781-585-0523, for a sighting of the coyote, Holmes said.
911 for an emergency.
Kingston Animal Control: 781-585-0529, for a coyote acting strangely or aggressively.

The animal control office is not staffed around the clock. Its hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, and it is closed on weekends and holidays, according to the town's animal control page, which directs after-hours emergencies to 781-585-0523.

How rare this is

Bites like Tuesday's are unusual, and Mass Audubon says on its coyote page that "coyote attacks on humans are rare in Massachusetts; during the last 60 years, there have been fewer than 10."

Mass Audubon advises people living near coyotes not to leave pet food outdoors, to secure their garbage, to pick up fallen fruit and never to feed a coyote, because feeding makes them "dependent and less wary of humans." It also says to keep pets indoors, since "a roaming cat or small dog can be perceived as prey by coyotes," to "always give coyotes plenty of space," and, if you come across an injured or sick animal, "you should never handle it."

Label: Reported by us.

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