LI Man Killed Dog While On FaceTime With Relative: Police

BRENTWOOD, NY — A Long Island man strangled a dog to death while video chatting on FaceTime with a family member this week, Suffolk police said Saturday.

According to police, a 23-year-old Brentwood man found a chihuahua on May 9 that had escaped from its Central Islip home.

After keeping the dog for nearly a month, the man contacted a family member via FaceTime on June 1 and strangled the dog, killing it, while threatening his family member during the call, police said.

Detectives with the assistance of officers from the Third Precinct Crime Section recovered the dog's remains at a waste transfer facility in Holbrook on Friday. A necropsy will be performed.

The man, who police did not name, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and second degree aggravated harassment. He was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for evaluation.

The SPCA assisted in the investigation.