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Lone Survivor Of Fatal Cougar Attack ID'd As Area Native

A Westchester native has been identified as the survivor of an extremely rare and much-publicized fatal cougar attack that occurred last week in the Cascade Mountains near Seattle.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife agents tracked and killed the cougar shortly after the attack on Saturday, May 19.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife agents tracked and killed the cougar shortly after the attack on Saturday, May 19.

Photo Credit: Washington DFW
Isaac Sederbaum, 31, is a 2005 graduate of Byram Hills High School.

Isaac Sederbaum, 31, is a 2005 graduate of Byram Hills High School.

Photo Credit: LinkedIn

Isaac Sederbaum, 31, a social science researcher who graduated from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital and has been released.

Sederbaum was mountain biking with fellow Seattleite SJ Brooks, 32, a leader in the local cycling community, in the morning on Saturday, May 19 when the attack occurred in which Brooks was killed.

The two initially scared off the cougar by standing their ground and yelling before it returned and attacked and bit Sederbaum. After Sederbaum managed to hit the cougar in the head with his mountain bike, it ran into the woods. 

But the cougar returned and fastened its mouth on Sederbaum's head, crunching down and shaking him side to side like prey, King County Sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Abbott.

Sederbaum managed to get loose, but the cougar then chased Brooks, who was running away. The cougar bit Brooks in the face, neck and legs. Sederbaum was bitten on the head, neck and face, requiring surgery.

It was the first fatal cougar attack in Washington State in nearly a century.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife agents tracked and killed the cougar shortly after the attack on Saturday, May 19.

Sederbaum, known as "Izzy," is a 2005 graduate of Byram Hills, was a member of the cycling team at Portland State University, where he received a Bachelor's degree before earning a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Washington, where he was also a member of the cycling team.

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