Police Lt. Neal Hansen said the boy was playing in the yard when he was attacked, and was saved by his 8-year-old sister's screams, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.

The children's names were not released.

Minutes later a coyote was spotted not far away in the same housing development, and a police officer fired one shot at it, Hansen said. The officer saw the animal twitch as if struck but it ran away and left no blood trail.

State wildlife officials were called, and Tuesday morning began using tracking dogs to scour the area, the report said.

Hansen said another 22-month-old boy was attacked by a coyote just an eighth of a mile away last month. The child survived, but the coyote was never located.