Footage shows tearful NYC cops rush to save poodle after it’s thrown off ledge by owner who ‘snapped’
Tearful NYPD cops rushed to save a badly battered mini-poodle’s life after his owner “snapped” and threw him off a ledge at a Manhattan park, heart-stopping bodycam footage shows.
Owner Cleopatra Morgan, 26, told police she flung 1-year-old pooch Rocket at Highbridge Park at Edgecombe Avenue and West 165th Street in Washington Heights — then called 911 to confess to the sensless deed around 1:30 p.m. on May 16, cops and the ASPCA said.
NYPD Officer Kelsey Garcia swooped the tiny bleeding dog into her arms – and had little hope when another cop asked her if she thought Rocket would survive, according to the bodycam clip.
“No,” Garcia said through tears, the footage shows. “He needs to go to the doctor. He’s breathing but he’s choking.”
Rocket was “severely injured” and clinging to life when cops arrived – and Morgan claimed she “snapped” when she hurt her helpless pet.
“My first thought was this little guy is not going to make it – there’s no way,” Garcia told WABC in a Wednesday interview. “He was just bleeding from the nose and the mouth, barely conscious, labored breathing.”
Garcia hopped into an NYPD cruiser with Lt. Vincent Caprino at the wheel and Officer Joseph Oshea in the backseat, as the cops rushed Rocket to the ASPCA Animal Hospital.
“She threw him,” Garcia said in the car as Oshea dialed up the ASPCA, the footage shows. “He’s in shock. He’s bleeding from the mouth. He’s breathing though. It’s shallow but he’s breathing. He’s not responding.”
When Rocket arrived at the hospital, he was in critical condition and had signs of a traumatic brain injury, with an unstable blood pressure and heart rate, according to the ASPCA.
He was treated with intravenous fluids and given pain medication – but ultimately needed to be transferred to the Animal Medical Center because of his critical injuries.
Poor Rocket was bleeding into his belly and needed to undergo an emergency blood transfusion, the ASPCA said.
Rocket was then transferred back to the ASPCA, where he underwent surgery for a fractured femur.
But his recovery is far from over, with several weeks of physical therapy ahead.
“Rocket will remain in the ASPCA’s care as he continues to receive treatment for very serious injuries.
Rocket has a long road to recovery, and we’re doing everything we can to help him,” an ASPCA spokeswoman said in a statement.
“It is thanks to the quick action of the NYPD officers who came to his rescue, and the expert care he’s been receiving at the ASPCA Animal Hospital and the Animal Medical Center, that Rocket is still with us today.”
Meanwhile, Cleopatra was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, torturing, injuring or not feeding an animal, criminal possession of a weapon and false personation, cops said.
She was released on her own recognizance during her arraignment, with her next court appearance scheduled for June 26, online records show.
