PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Police are still searching for a suspect accused of stealing a dog in Philadelphia, as the animal’s owner says he is relieved to have her safely back home.
Mocha was taken on March 19 in the city’s Fern Rock neighborhood while her owner, Miguel Smith, was renovating a home and let her outside.
“Now I see how people feel when they lose their child and stuff like that, cause that’s what it felt like to me,” Smith said. “Somebody that’s so dear to you just vanished.”
Video captured by a SEPTA bus and nearby security cameras shows a man stopping his car in the middle of the street, getting out, and taking the 2-year-old dog from the sidewalk.
“Whoever it is knows the dog comes outside sometimes, sits on the step, sees the dog, and wants the dog,” Smith said. “It just hits you in the stomach. I was running around the neighborhood.”
Smith said he spent two days searching for Mocha, as Philadelphia police released surveillance video in hopes of identifying the suspect.
On Saturday, he received a call from a neighbor.
“‘My cousin is here with your dog.’ I’m like my dog? Mocha ? You sure? He’s like ‘Bro, I know it’s your dog’,” Smith said.
According to Smith, a good Samaritan told him someone tried to sell Mocha on the street.
“I just compensated him for his effort and time and just his goodwill to bring my dog back,” Smith said. “She’s a rare breed. A beautiful dog, and I happen to be the owner, and I guess a few people wanted to be the owner as well.”
While police continue to search for the person responsible, Smith said he is grateful Mocha has been returned home safely and thanked those who helped bring her back.
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