PLAINFIELD – A Wauregan couple’s story about being suddenly and viciously attacked by a roaming dog on the streets of town was made up in an effort to shield the true identity of the animal, Plainfield police said Wednesday.

Police said 21-year-old Jade Santiago and Nicholas Guarneri, 23, lied to officers about how Santiago sustained serious bites to her face on Saturday. Police said the injuries were caused by the “household pet” of a resident living with the couple and not by an unknown pit bull.

During a Monday phone interview, Guarneri told The Bulletin he and Santiago were exploring the neighborhood in the area of South Walnut Street when “out of nowhere, the dog came up behind us and jumped up at Jade’s chin.”

Guarneri said the dog, which he described as a gray pit bull-type animal with a white paw patch, tore at his girlfriend’s face and extremities before being driven off thanks to his kicks and yells. Guarneri said he then frantically drove a bleeding Santiago to a nearby medical center for treatment. He said she later received 45 stitches to her face.

“Based on the information given to police, (officers) were unable to locate any evidence consistent with what was reported,” police said in a press release. “Even after an extensive neighborhood canvass to include the entire village of Wauregan, the Plainfield Police Department could not locate any witnesses. After viewing the media interviews with Santiago and Guarneri, members of the Plainfield Police Department observed several discrepancies.”

Police said the dog attack took place inside Santiago’s home, at 110 S. Walnut St. The dog that allegedly attacked Santiago, a brindle pit bull, was later located in Sterling and is being quarantined at the Plainfield Animal Control Facility, police said.

Messages left on Guarneri's phone were not returned Wednesday afternoon.

Plainfield police Capt. Mario Arriaga said his department made the search - for what they said turned out to be a non-existent dog - a priority in the hours and days after the reported attack.

"That meant a lot of man-hours and overtime to make sure the public was safe for what was reported as an attacking dog roaming free," he said. "We put an area full of kids on alert."

Arriaga said the investigation is still active and the department has not ruled out applying for arrest warrants in the case.