Boy and family speak out after raccoon attack in New Jersey

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ -- The little boy attacked by a raccoon in New Jersey, spoke for the first time about his terrifying walk to school.

Six-year-old Aryan Gavali is camera shy, but not scared after a frightening animal attack.

He showed Eyewitness News a picture he drew illustrating the rabid raccoon that clawed and mauled him, and thanked the Good Samaritan who pried the animal off his face.

Aryan was walking to school with his mom last week when he was attacked by the raccoon outside their Elmwood Park home.

"He screamed, 'Mommy!' I turned around and I saw that something was on his back," said Monali Galavi, Aryan's mother.

His mother tried desperately to fight off the creature, frantically looking for a stick or rock.

Fortunately, neighbor and Good Samaritan Danny Walls grabbed a tool from his truck and beat the animal off Aryan.

The first grader has deep cuts on his face and scratches on his head.

He's gotten his first round of shots for rabies.

"He couldn't really talk, he couldn't really open his mouth and talk. Just because his face was swollen, he had stitches," said Aakanksha Gavali, the victim's cousin.

Because the medical bills are adding up quickly, his family created a GoFundMe page seeking donations and updating people on his recovery.

"I would just like to say thank you to Danny and all the people who are praying for my son to recover fast. He's a brave boy, he is recovering very fast," said Pratap Gavali, Aryan's father.