Middletown police search for woman caught on camera kicking dog
Homeowner who captured the disturbing footage fears for the dog’s safety as police release surveillance images and ask the public for help.
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A disturbing surveillance video showing a woman kicking a dog on a Middletown street has sparked a police investigation and a growing effort to find the woman and the animal.
Nicole Diaz says she heard strange noises outside her East Avenue home around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and decided to check her security camera.
“Something in my gut just told me to look over the camera because this noise didn’t sound normal,” Diaz said.
What she discovered left her horrified.
The footage shows a woman kicking a dog before the two begin crossing the street. A porch post then blocks the camera’s view, but the recording captures what sounds like two loud slaps.
“I heard like a smacking noise. It was just really loud and I heard the dog whimpering,” Diaz said.
Diaz immediately contacted police and later shared the video on social media, hoping someone would recognize the woman.
“It really touched my heart because I’m really big on animals and just seeing this was just heartbreaking. I just felt so much anger,” she said.
The video has since circulated widely online, prompting an outpouring of concern for the dog’s safety.
Middletown police have released two surveillance images of the woman and are asking for the public’s help identifying her. Lt. Jeffry Thoelen says investigators have interviewed people in the neighborhood and conducted surveillance, but so far have been unable to identify the woman.
Diaz says she hasn’t seen the woman or dog since the incident, and police confirm neither has been spotted since the video was released. Diaz says she previously saw the woman regularly walking the dog in the neighborhood. Now, she’s increasingly worried about what may have happened to the animal.
“She hasn’t been seen walking him since, so I just worry about maybe she dumped him or he’s going through worse,” Diaz said.
Diaz says a GoFundMe has also been started to raise a $1,500 reward in connection with the search.
For now, the dog’s whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
Anyone who recognizes the woman or has information about the incident is asked to contact the Middletown Animal Control officer at 845-346-4031.
