P’nut the Squirrel’s grieving owner says he was treated like a ‘terrorist’ in 5-hour raid by NY state
This is nuts.
An upstate man whose beloved squirrel was cruelly killed by the state said he was treated like a “terrorist” when 10 government agents descended on his home during a five-hour raid.
Mark Longo, whose pet P’nut captured the hearts of 3 million social media users, was stunned when a convoy of vehicles carrying officials from the state departments of Environmental Conservation and Health arrived at his Pine City home Wednesday.
They served him with a surprise warrant allowing them to snatch away P’nut the squirrel and Fred, a raccoon he’d taken in.
“They treated me like I was a terrorist. They treated this raid as if I was a drug dealer. They ransacked my house for five hours,” Longo told The Post Saturday.
“They asked my wife, who is of German descent, what her immigration status was. They asked if I had cameras in my house. They wouldn’t allow me to go to the bathroom without a police escort, who then checked the back of the toilet to see if I was hiding anything there.”
But worse than all of that, they delivered his gray fur baby to its death.
The state claimed it had to euthanize both animals Friday so that they could be tested for rabies — because the squirrel sunk its teeth into the hand of an official during the disturbing raid. The test results are not yet known.
Longo, 34, cared for “P’Nut” for more than seven years, rescuing him when his mother was hit by a car.
“We rehabbed him for eight months, we released him for a day and a half, but he ended up getting attacked. He never developed the instincts to survive outside,” Longo told The Post.
P’nut slept in his own room in their house in Pine City, just south of Elmira, NY.
Fred arrived four months ago, after being dropped off at their front door, and split time between an outdoor enclosure and a room in their residence.
P’nut and Fred were targeted, and not other animals living on the 350-acre property, because they lived indoors.
P’nut was a star on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Even Elon Musk paid tribute to him on X today.
One post said, “President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels” and another lamented, “Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him.”
“My phone is blowing up from people around the country saying how much they loved P’nut,” Longo said. “I have people who call me and cry more than I do.”
The Connecticut native moved to upstate New York last April to start “P’Nut’s Freedom Farm,” a nonprofit animal rescue he operates with his wife, Daniela. The sanctuary is home to 300 rescue animals.
Follow along for The Post’s latest coverage of the saga of P’Nut the Squirrel
- P’nut the Squirrel, beloved pet and internet sensation, euthanized after being seized by NY state
- P’nut the Squirrel’s grieving family gives tearful statement on TikTok: ‘I’m sad, I’m disgusted’
- P’nut the Squirrel’s grieving owner says he was treated like a ‘terrorist’ in 5-hour raid by NY state
- Fans of P’nut the Squirrel raise over $158K after beloved pet was euthanized by NY state: ‘Justice for Peanut!’
- Anti-Trump website falls for fake statement about P’nut the Squirrel’s death
- Who ratted out P’nut the Squirrel? Grieving owners have their theory — and it’s a rich one
He also has an OnlyFans account under the name “Squirrel Daddy,” and insisted it was separate from his animal rescue work. “That’s just me, completely separate. It actually just made enough money for us to start this organization.”
Longo was stunned that the gang of so-called government conservationists searching his home Wednesday kept him from tending to his other animals during their raid.
“I was not even allowed to fill their water,” he said.
Longo explained it is illegal to house a squirrel and raccoon, but he didn’t have the “heart” to keep them outside.
The DEC said in a statement obtained by WETM that the raid was in response to complaints about Fred, the raccoon, but Longo claimed they used him as an excuse to get P’nut.
“The only time I ever talked to the DEC prior to this was when they got complaints from anonymous people on the internet for P’nut about five or six months ago and that was before Fred,” he said. “They used Fred as their go-to to get into my house.”
The DEC claimed P’nut bit one of its officials on the hand during the raid, but Longo said he did not witness that and that the officials’ hands were heavily protected.
“I watched everybody put gloves on before they entered my house. They had gloves that you get an eagle to land on,” he said.
Longo is demanding an investigation into the claim they were checking the animals for rabies, and filing a motion to get the medical records of the officials in his house to see if they actually got tested for the disease.
“P’nut and Fred did not have rabies or I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. I’ve been around them long enough, played with them, cared for them and I didn’t foam at the mouth,” he said.
Longo, who only found out his animals were put down through his local news station, said the state must answer for its actions.
“Why was there so much force brought to my house for a racoon and a squirrel?” he asked.
“We have so many other things that we need to focus on. We use our government to do this s–it when we can’t even fix the problems we have in daily human life.”
Gov. Hochul, along with the state DEC and Health Department, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
One elected official blasted state government for its over-the-top response.
“With all the crime in our migrant shelters, good to know we have the time and resources for a squirrel swat team,” scoffed City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island). “I can’t wait to meet the new senior advisor to the governor, Elmer J. Fudd.”
State Sen. Thomas O’Mara, who is Longo’s state representative, said he has reached out to the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health and has been stonewalled on getting an answer about who authorized the decision to euthanize Peanut.
“Everything else our government looks the other way on as far as illegal immigrants but then come down on someone harboring a squirrel,” said state Senator Thomas O’Mara. “It just highlights the priorities of the government we have in New York State, frankly. It’s disturbing and we need answers from both the state DEC and the Chemung County department of Health.”
Ken Girardin, research director at the conservative watchdog Empire Center for Public Policy, said that the raid that ultimately led to Peanut’s death demonstrates how the DEC is “arguably the most powerful state agency.”
“They have sweeping authority that, as this case shows, allows them to enter private homes and seize private property with what appears in this case to be questionable justification,” he said, adding, “Some of the blame falls on New York state lawmakers, who haven’t provided adequate oversight.”
