A two-year-old boy was bitten and scratched by a raccoon at a popular Massachusetts playground on Friday afternoon, prompting local police to issue a warning for families to remain vigilant. The incident occurred at Wayland Town Beach in Wayland, a wooded community approximately 20 miles west of Boston.
Attack at the Playground
Grayson Cohen was playing on a jungle gym with his nanny when the animal lunged from behind the structure and attacked him. The child’s father, Spencer Cohen, described the attack as happening so quickly that the nanny was initially unaware of the full extent of the encounter.
“It happened so fast,” Spencer Cohen told NBC10 Boston. “She didn't even know he was bitten until she got him in the car seat.”
When the nanny brought the toddler home, Cohen saw the severity of the injury and immediately took his son to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
“I got a text saying he had an ‘encounter’ with a raccoon,” Spencer Cohen said. “I didn't know what that meant — until I saw how significantly he had been bitten.”
Medical Treatment Required
The two-year-old sustained a deep bite and several scratches across his rib cage. Hospital staff administered three stitches, and the child began a standard course of rabies vaccinations, which are most effective when initiated immediately after a potential exposure.
The boy’s mother, Megan Cohen, expressed shock at the extent of the physical damage.
“I kind of imagined maybe a small scratch,” she said. “But when I saw that he had a bite on his rib cage, and scratches, it looked a lot worse than I expected.”
Despite the ordeal, Grayson has recovered quickly, according to his parents.
“He was such a trooper,” Megan Cohen said. “Now he's running around — you wouldn’t even know he has stitches.”
Family’s Response and Police Warning
The parents described the experience as overwhelming for the family, particularly watching their young son undergo medical treatment. “These are things you just never hope your 2-year-old needs to go through,” Megan Cohen said.
For the Cohen family, the location of the attack remains the most concerning aspect. “Wayland is a very wooded community, and we have wild animals in the area, but you could encounter — especially raccoons — you could encounter them all over the city,” Megan Cohen noted.
The Wayland Police Department launched a search of the area surrounding the beach playground but reported that officers had not yet located the raccoon involved in the encounter.
The department issued a public safety notice advising residents to exercise caution around local wildlife, particularly animals displaying unusual behaviors. Because raccoons are typically nocturnal, police warned that daytime activity, unprovoked aggression, or disorientation could indicate that an animal was sick.
