Toddler left needing stitches and rabies shot after being attacked by a RACCOON at Massachusetts playground

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:46, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 00:48, 27 May 2026 A toddler in Massachusetts was left needing stitches and a rabies shot after a vicious raccoon attack, as police issue a stern warning to the public.  Grayson Cohen was happily playing at Wayland Town Beach with his nanny on Friday afternoon when a sudden raccoon attack left him brutally injured.  The two-year-old had been climbing the steps of a jungle gym when the wild animal suddenly leapt toward the toddler.  'It happened so fast,' his father, Spencer Cohen, told NBC 10 Boston. '[The nanny] didn't even know he was bitten until she got him in the car seat. 'I got a text saying he had an "encounter" with a raccoon. I didn't know what that meant - until I saw how significantly he had been bitten.'  Grayson was rushed home by his nanny before his father saw the bites and scratches on the toddler and he was quickly taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.  On his ribs, Grayson was left with a deep bite and scratches that needed three stitches and a four-dose rabies vaccination. 'I kind of imagined maybe a small scratch,' the toddler's mother, Meghan Cohen, told the outlet.  Grayson Cohen, two years old, was happily playing at Wayland Town Beach with his nanny on Friday afternoon when a sudden raccoon attack left him brutally injured On his ribs, Grayson was left with a deep bite and scratches that needed three stitches and a four-dose rabies vaccination The two-year-old had been climbing the steps of a jungle gym in Wayland Town Beach when the wild animal suddenly leapt toward the toddler 'But when I saw that he had a bite on his rib cage, and scratches, it looked a lot worse than I expected.' 'That was not on my bingo card of things that I would be scared of when I'm thinking of my son going to the park,' Meghan told Boston 25 News. '...It was a pretty harrowing event for our little guy.' But the toddler stayed in happy spirits despite the attack and scary hospital visit.  A video shared by Spencer Cohen saw Meghan and Grayson singing in the back of the car as they left the hospital.  'Bye bye hospital,' Grayson sang after his mother, who said he is back to playing baseball and staying active around the house.  'I think thankfully, we're more traumatized than he is by the situation,' Spencer told the outlet. 'He's running around, and we're trying to get him to do maybe a little less jumping on the couch with the stitches on his side.  'But he's a happy, healthy two-year-old. So, we're very grateful for that.'   'He was such a trooper. Now he's running around - you wouldn't even know he had stitches,' Meghan told NBC 10.  Grayson was rushed home by his nanny before his father saw the bites and scratches on the toddler and he was quickly taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital The toddler is said to be in happy spirits despite the attack, and has started jumping around the house and playing baseball again as if nothing happened, his parents said Meanwhile, the Wayland Police Department said on Sunday that the department was still attempting to locate the animal and urged locals or visitors to exercise caution.  The advisory urged the public to stay clear of any raccoons or wildlife and to seek medical attention if bitten or scratched by a wild animal.  Raccoons are usually nocturnal creatures, therefore a sighting in the daytime can mean the animal is disorientated or distressed.  '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,' Meghan told the outlet.  She added, 'I just really hope that parents are aware that there could be animals in the area and that we should really be vigilant,' Boston 25 reported.  The Daily Mail reached out to the Wayland Police Department for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.