Verified incident record · 2026-04-21

Verona boy hospitalized, puppy killed in Riverbank Park dog attack

The 12-year-old said a neighbor’s dog jumped a fence, knocked him down and attacked while he was walking his newly adopted puppy.

HospitalizedDoberman (victim-reported)Verona, PA

Date2026-04-21 · Just after 5:00 p.m. EDT

LocationRiverbank Park along Arch Street

Victim(s)12-year-old boy; family puppy also killed

Dogs involved1 dog

Injury severityHospitalized

Breed attributionDoberman (victim-reported)The 12-year-old victim told WPXI the attacking neighbor dog was a Doberman. BiteDB records this as victim-reported rather than official breed confirmation.

What the record currently shows

Incident summary

A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized after a neighbor’s dog attacked him at Riverbank Park in Verona. The boy told WPXI the dog jumped a fence while he was walking his newly adopted puppy, knocked him down and attacked. The puppy was killed.

Legal-status note

The source reviewed did not establish citations, criminal charges or final animal-control disposition.

Media & source coverage

Video, reporting and source material

BiteDB embeds media only when a source-hosted player is suitable for embedding. News photographs and footage remain with their publishers unless reuse rights are clear.

↗Original source mediaWPXI video/report pagePublisher-hosted video/reporting; media remains with the source.

Source provenance

Primary record used by BiteDB

12-year-old boy hospitalized, puppy killed in dog attack at local parkLocal television reporting with victim/family interview · Published 2026-04-21 · Accessed 2026-08-26

WPXI reported that 12-year-old Liam Swartzwelder was hospitalized after a dog attack at Riverbank Park and that his newly adopted puppy was killed. The child identified the neighboring dog as a Doberman.

Open original source ↗

Data-quality notes

What BiteDB does not infer

Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.