A little girl's life was saved by passers-by after she was savaged by a pit bull terrier – while its owner looked on.
The astonishing scenes were captured on surveillance cameras in New York's Bronx on Sunday night.
The six-year-old was with her mum when the unleashed dog darted across the street and tore into her.
The mum desperately tried to keep hold of her daughter as the ferocious dog tried to rip her from her grasp.
Only the swift reactions of passers-by saved the girl. Men who ran to her aid had to punch the dog repeatedly to get it to let go.
Amazingly, the dog's owner rushed over to save his dog from the crowd, ordering them to leave his pet alone as he put the dog back onto a lead.
One of the have-a-go-heroes, Andrew Candeler said he didn't think twice about his own safety as he rushed to help the little girl.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I had to help her,' he told NBC New York.
"The girl was crying, she was going crazy. This dog needs to be controlled, because it is a big dog and you never know when the dog is going to attack."
The girl was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries, including small puncture wounds to her right arm and right leg. She was treated and released.
The dog's owner, who lives near to where the girl was attacked, stayed on the scene, police said. He was given a summons for having his dog off the leash, but the dog was not taken away.
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