A mysterious wild animal has rattled a New Hampshire neighborhood after attacking at least three people in less than two days.

Authorities have described the creature as “unusually aggressive” as the search for the unidentified animal continues.

The attacks have been reported around the Centerra Park area of Lebanon since Sunday, according to the Lebanon Police Department. Residents, workers, and visitors have been warned to “remain aware of their surroundings.”

Witnesses have offered conflicting descriptions of the animal, calling it either a “gray fox or a fisher."

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Police believe the same small, gray creature was responsible for all three frightening encounters, although officers have not confirmed exactly what species it is.

Surveillance footage captured one encounter in a parking lot near a rental truck.

The video reportedly shows the animal charging toward two people with the sort of reckless aggression that makes a routine walk through a parking lot suddenly feel like a wildlife documentary gone wrong.

The animal grabbed one man’s bag before lunging toward his feet and legs.

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The man fought back by kicking at the creature, which eventually retreated beneath the nearby truck.

Police received the first attack report Sunday near Centerra Parkway.

Two additional incidents followed, with the latest attack occurring Monday evening, suggesting the animal was continuing to roam through the same general area.

Investigators initially suspected a fisher was responsible for the first encounter.

However, officers have been unable to locate the animal, leaving authorities without a firm identification or a way to test whether it is carrying disease.

“It’s concerning because of the animal attacking people. That’s usually indicative of something being wrong with the animal, most likely rabies,” Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts said, according to WMUR.

“And then, you know, the fact that it’s coming out and scratching and biting at people. That’s obviously a concern to us,” Roberts added.

Wild animals generally try to avoid people, particularly in busy commercial areas.

An animal repeatedly approaching, chasing, scratching, or biting people is a major warning sign that illness, injury, or some other dangerous condition may be driving its behavior.

Residents are understandably unsettled by the idea that an aggressive animal could be hiding near buildings and parked vehicles.

“Oh my goodness, that’s the scariest thing,” one local told the outlet.

The resident captured the mood of a public already accustomed to watching for danger in ordinary places.

“Like there’s not enough to look out for these days, now you gotta look out for fisher cats in the parking lot.”

Lebanon police are working with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to locate the animal and determine whether it is sick.

Until it is found, officials are urging everyone in the area to keep their distance from wildlife that displays aggressive or otherwise abnormal behavior.

“Do not approach, attempt to capture, feed, or otherwise interact with the animal,” police said.

Anyone who sees the creature should immediately move to a secure location and contact Lebanon police or the Fish and Game Department.

Officials also warned that bites and scratches from wild animals can create possible exposure to rabies.

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Anyone attacked should thoroughly wash the affected area with soap and water, then seek immediate medical attention rather than gambling with a potentially deadly infection.

Rabies is particularly dangerous because symptoms may not appear immediately, but the disease can become fatal once those symptoms begin.

Prompt treatment after a suspected exposure remains essential, making every bite or scratch from this roaming animal a serious medical concern.

The Lebanon scare is not the only recent warning involving a potentially rabid animal.

The Mount Loretto Unique Area, a 241 acre nature preserve on the south shore of Staten Island, also issued a public safety advisory after a fox reportedly bit a visitor.

New York environmental officials said that fox may have been infected with rabies.

That separate incident offers another blunt reminder that wildlife encounters should not be treated casually when an animal abandons its natural fear of people.

For now, the New Hampshire creature remains unidentified and at large.

Police are asking the public to stay alert, avoid playing amateur animal control, and report sightings before another unsuspecting person becomes attack number four.

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