Caught on video: Dog stolen from 74-year-old Brooklyn woman's front yard
NEW YORK - A dognapper was caught on video stealing a woman's dog from her front yard in Brooklyn, police say.
The Shih Tzu named Romeo Rivera has been missing for more than a month. Investigators are now asking for the public's help finding the dog and the alleged thief.
The victim, 74-year-old Valerie Rivera, told police she let her dog outside to go the bathroom around 9:30 a.m. on March 18. Surveillance cameras captured what happened next outside her home near Jerome Street and Pitkin Avenue in East New York.
The dog can be seen inside a fenced area when the suspect walks up. He appears to be pushing some kind of cart or carrier. The dog runs toward the suspect, who then bends down and pets him through the fence.
"I was calling him. 'No Romeo, no Romeo, no Romeo,'" Rivera told CBS New York's Nick Caloway.
The video provided by police ends with the suspect and the dog walking out of the frame. It's unclear exactly how the suspect got the dog out of the fenced area.
"I call the cops and they come right away," Rivera said.
Rivera says Romeo is her best friend.
"He was everything to me," she said.
She says even though it's hard for her to get around, she checks the front stoop every morning, hoping he'll be there. She says everybody loves Romeo.
"I'm scared of dogs. But this one, I'm not scared of him. Because he's just a little baby," a mail carrier said.
Rivera says the detectives on the case stopped by Friday to update her with the latest, and she watches her surveillance system day and night, hoping Romeo is returned.
"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, bring him home. Bring him home, please," Rivera said.
Police said the suspect was last seen heading south on Jerome Street toward Pitkin Avenue, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, red baseball hat and black sneakers. He was described as having a light complexion and medium build.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
