A family’s young pit bull was stolen off the street in broad daylight by a man on a scooter who pretended to be petting the dog before grabbing him and riding off.
The community came together to call for justice and try to get the dog, named Off-White, home and now a reward has been bumped up to $5,000 for his safe return.
Carlos Gil, a grandfather and family member of the dog owner, was outside his house on 88th Street near 95th Avenue in Ozone Park on June 25 with Off-White and another smaller pup.
A man rode up on a scooter and admired the dog on the sidewalk, according to surveillance video obtained by the Ozone Park Residents Block Association.
Then, the man scooped up the dog as Gil jumped in front of the scooter trying to stop him, swatting at him with something in his hand.
The pit bull mix is a popular and expensive dog, potentially costing around $1,000.
The family was offering a $2,000 reward for the dog’s return and hung up fliers across the town. Then, the group PETA stepped in with an additional $3,000.
The nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering the money for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person who stole Off-White, it announced in a press release.
“Together with the reward offered by Off-White’s family, the total claimable amount offered to help bring him safely home is now up to $5,000,” the group stated.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident but there are no leads yet, said a police source.
PETA asked that the public share the surveillance video, which is available on the block association’s Facebook page, to help identify the man.
“This dog is in danger after being snatched away from his distraught guardian,” said PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien in a prepared statement.
“PETA urges anyone with information to come forward so that Off-White can be reunited with his family and the dognapper held accountable and stopped from inflicting any more harm.”
The block association also had strong words for the perpetrator.
“We condemn the actions of this perpetrator and coward that preyed on a senior and stole his dog,” it wrote on Facebook, urging people to share the video, which had gained over 800 shares as of Wednesday, across social media platforms.
A press release from the group’s president, Sam Esposito, stated, “This perpetrator must be caught. We must send a message to everyone that we will not just sit back while crime is out of control and innocent people are falling victims to these crimes.”
It continued, “This is unacceptable, and we will not just stand idly by.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on Twitter. All tips are strictly confidential.