'I Couldn't Believe It': NH Man Bitten By Rabid Bat Hiding In iPad Case

SOUTH HAMPTON, NH (CBS) – When 86-year-old Roy Syvertson sat down for his evening ritual of reading the news on his iPad Thursday night, he was met with an unusual – and painful – surprise.

"I sat there in amazement," he explained. "It's impossible!"

He felt a pinch on his finger. When he looked down, he discovered he had been bitten by a bat.

It felt "just like a bee sting," he said. "It was quite a shock."

To Syvertson's surprise, the bat had lodged its way into the flaps of his iPad case before biting him. He clenched the bat inside the case, quickly snapped a picture, then released it outside.

When he came back the next day, the bat was still there but had died. That's when Roy Syvertson knew there was a problem. "A problem for him certainly because he was dead," he joked. "I was still alive."

He called New Hampshire Fish and Game, who then tested the rodent to find out what Syvertson feared: it was rabid.

Nearly a week later, he's visiting Exeter Hospital for more rabies shots. He says he's not worried for his health, but he is worried about kids in his neighborhood.

"I really hope people seeing this will talk with their children and say 'look, if you see an animal that wants to be friends, don't go near it,'" he told WBZ.