Man who contracted flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing in NJ to lose fingers

CAMDEN, N.J. (WTXF) - A man hospitalized after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing in New Jersey must have his fingers amputated, according to his family.

Angel Perez, 60, contracted the flesh-eating bacteria after crabbing in Maurice River, New Jersey.

Perez's daughter Dilena Perez-Dilan joined Good Day Philadelphia on Thursday to share his story.

"He is day-by-day getting better, his spirits are still positive. He has faith, he's praising God. He is being a jokester, he's being humorous," Perez-Dilan told FOX 29. "He is still in a lot of pain."

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According to Perez-Dilan, her father had gone crabbing in the same spot numerous times previously without any sign of illness.

"That's his spot to go. He goes early in the morning, he tries to beat everyone before they get there because that's his spot," she said.

Perez-Dilan said they first saw the swelling in his right ankle where Angle Perez had developed a few scratches on his leg. Angle was sore, and after a while they took him to urgent care to be treated.

Perez's immune system was already compromised by Parkinson's Disease.

Now, doctors at Cooper University Hospital, where Perez is listed in critical condition, continue to work with the family to spare further loss of limbs.