William Chan, Clifton, NJ homeowner dog stolen from family yard on Easter Sunday by woman and young boy before being returned 3 days later after woman in Ring video is identified. Authorities yet to say if the woman will now face charges.
Lost or stolen…? A New Jersey family has had their dog returned just days after the family pet was seemingly taken off the back porch by a mother and her young son according to home surveillance.
At the time of the incident, William Chan of Clifton, N.J was vacationing in Hawaii when the family dog, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu-Yorkshire Terrier mix named Rocky, got loose Sunday afternoon, running outside of their home and onto the street.
Was 7-year old Clifton Shih Tzu mix dog lost or stolen?
Video from a Ring camera (see below) shows Rocky running in the street just off its owner’s property with the animal being chased in the yard by a child holding a blanket, before a woman emerging from a black SUV joins the boy.
Rocky runs up onto the home’s back porch, where the woman and the child corner him and grab him before returning to the SUV and taking off.
According to Chan, detectives were able to identify the woman and retrieve Rocky from her home in Newark.
Not immediately clear is how the woman and the young boy came to appear at the time of the dog running off the property and whether the pair, believed to be a mother and son had simply meant to retrieve the dog and later return it to its rightful owner.
At the time of the incident Chan’s nephew Chris Chan was dog-sitting.
Explained the nephew via CBSNews: ‘In the video, he’s on property, and then he’s coming back up the steps, trying to get home.
‘When he goes out, he knows to go to the back steps,’ the nephew added.
The family said Rocky was wearing a harness and tag at the time.
Missing Clifton dog re-united with owners
Come Wednesday the missing dog was returned to William Chan.
‘I feel 120 times better. I mean it’s like a weight has been lifted,’ Chan told NorthJersey.com. ‘This whole time I’ve been going through my pictures, videos, seeing if I can get any more information, trying to get the lady’s license plate, see if any other cameras caught her.’
Added the relieved dog owner, ‘Now I’m just happy. We’re all thankful that he’s back and safe.’
Police said they’ve identified the woman seen in the video and she is cooperating with detectives. It remains unclear if the woman and who appears to be her young son will now face charges.
