MINEOLA, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A car thief threw a dog from a moving Range Rover and dragged the pet along a road on Long Island this week, police said Wednesday as they released images of a suspect.
A 60-year-old woman was getting gas at the BP gas station at Jericho Turnpike and Maple Place in Mineola around 2:45 p.m. Monday when the thief pounced, according to Nassau County Police.
As the victim was refueling her white Range Rover, the masked man snuck into the driver’s seat and took off, surveillance footage shows.
The thief fled westbound on Jericho Turnpike. When he got to Mineola Boulevard, he tried to throw the woman’s white Cavachon Bichon dog out of the window of the vehicle.
The collar got caught on the vehicle and the 1-year-old dog was dragged along the roadway, police said.
The dog was eventually able to free itself, and the suspect continued driving westbound on Jericho Turnpike, according to police.
A witness called 911 and rendered aid to the dog, who was transported by police to a veterinary hospital. The pooch suffered serious injuries but survived.
The woman was not injured during the theft, police said.
The Range Rover was later found parked about 45 miles away on North Walnut Street in East Orange, New Jersey.
It’s just the latest violent car theft at a Nassau County gas station.
A few weeks ago on Dec. 13, a woman was dragged as a thief tried to steal her Range Rover at a 76 Gas Station on Glen Cove Road in Glen Head.
The thief eventually stopped the vehicle, stole the woman’s purse and laptop, and fled in a Porsche with several other men, police said. The victim was not seriously hurt.
Police said thieves target high-end vehicles on Long Island to be used in other crimes or even for racing. The thieves sometimes loan out the vehicles for money to other crooks, who use them to commit crimes like robbery.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-244-TIPS.
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