QUEENS, NY – A 29-year-old Queens man has been charged with multiple crimes, including aggravated animal cruelty and arson, after allegedly killing a pit bull and burning its body in South Ozone Park last week.
According to investigators, on July 24 at around 9 a.m., an NYPD lieutenant discovered the charred remains of a dog near 127-20 116th Avenue. Surveillance footage later showed the suspect, identified as Isaiah Gurley of South Conduit Avenue, entering a Rockaway Boulevard deli around 4:40 a.m., stealing a bottle of oil, and then dragging an unconscious dog along 116th Avenue before dousing it with oil and setting it on fire.
Authorities say the NYPD Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad launched an investigation, and Gurley was identified through released images. On July 28, a tip led officers to apprehend him at a Foot Locker in Queens Center mall.
Gurley has been arraigned on charges including aggravated animal cruelty, arson in the fifth degree, reckless endangerment, and petit larceny. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.