Investigators are looking for an arsonist who set a dog on fire in Queens, police said Friday.
It was not immediately clear if the animal, believed to be a pit bull, was alive or dead at the time the suspect set it on fire in the street, cops said.
Surveillance footage recovered by police shows the suspect, wearing a maroon sweatshirt with a POLO logo in tan lettering across the chest, dragging the motionless dog down the block at about 4:45 a.m. on Thursday before taking it to a street corner at 128th St. and 116th Ave. in South Ozone Park.
At the corner, the man is seen dragging the animal into the street, pouring a flammable liquid on it, and setting it on fire before running off.
Neighbors and first responders found the torched dog at the corner a short time later. The ASPCA and the NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Squad was investigating.
A police source with knowledge of the case said that the dog, while motionless, was a “healthy weight” and did not appear to be injured or malnourished in the surveillance footage cops recovered.
Cops were able to backtrack the suspect’s movements to a nearby deli, where he was recorded on the store’s surveillance camera.
Besides the POLO sweatshirt, the suspect was wearing gray pants and sported a light brown “MCM” backpack, cops said.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
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