Courtney Lopchinsky said the bird caused $6,000 worth of damages to her home.
TEANECK - A mother who sat down to dinner with two of her three children says a wild turkey crashed through her kitchen window, sending glass, debris and mud everywhere.
"It landed on the table in front of us," Courtney Lopchinsky told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday. "We got up and literally ran for our lives."
Lopchinsky says the turkey was one of a pack of four that has been roaming her neighborhood in recent months.
"They're like gangster turkeys," she said. "They terrorize kids at bus stops and chase people to their cars."
The township of Teaneck is taking the incident seriously.
A representative from the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (Fish & Wildlife) will attend a meeting Tuesday night to give an educational presentation and to address concerns from residents about the wild turkey issue in the township.
911 caller reports turkey attacking mailman
"The turkey issue has been around for four or five years," said Teaneck resident Peter Kelly.
"They come in flocks and they leave. But you never hear of them actually attacking," he said.
Lopchinsky said the turkey that crashed through her window thrashed around and "ransacked my kitchen," causing more than $6,000 worth of damage. She said her homeowner's insurance refuses to pay for damages caused by "birds, reptiles or vermin."
In addition to suffering minor cuts and bruises, Lopchinsky said she and her children found themselves picking glass out of their hair and clothes.
"We couldn't stay in the house that night," she said. "There was glass in my kids' Legos. I have a 2-year-old."
Police and firefighters found the bird pecking at another window trying to get out of the house, Lopchinsky said. First-responders grabbed the turkey and carried the bird out of the house, letting it go outdoors, she said.
Lopchinsky said the incident occurred near the end of January but she hasn't been able to talk about it until now.
"I was very traumatized," she said. "I needed to get my window fixed, shampoo the rugs and make repairs. That was all that was on my mind at the time."
The incident is not the first of its kind in Bergen County. In February, a mailman said he was surrounded by the birds in Hillsdale.
The Humane Society of the United States reports that turkeys may be more aggressive this time of year through May because it's mating season.
"They may respond aggressively to reflective surfaces (such as windows, automobile mirrors, or polished car doors), thinking that their reflection is an intruding male turkey," the society reports on its website.
The DEP presentation is scheduled for 8 p.m. at he beginning of the public input portion of the council meeting.
#Teaneck #turkey #problem pic.twitter.com/ukce0SKpNx
-- Eli Katz (@IAmEliKatz) April 5, 2016
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.