VIDEO: Pitbull In 'Outrageous' Attack On Subway Rider

MANHATTAN, NY — MTA chairman Joe Lhota said that video of a pitbull biting a subway rider's foot was "outrageous" after the video went viral on Wednesday.

A bystander recorded video of the incident, which shows a pitbull on the subway biting a woman's foot and refusing to let go for several seconds.

"I am as outraged as anyone when I saw that," Lhota said about the incident, which happened on Friday.

Non-service animals must be held by their owners while on the subway, Lhota said.

"There’s no reason in the world why that dog was allowed, one, on board, down to the platform on the train but let alone harassing one of my passengers," he said.

You can watch video of the incident, which quickly went viral, here:

The NYPD confirmed to Patch that officers are investigating the video, but could not provide additional details about the incident.

Tahysi Kyng, who recorded the incident, told CBS New York that the dog, its owner and the woman were riding on a No. 4 train on Friday afternoon as it approached Wall Street. Kyng told CBS that the woman and the dog's owner began arguing when the owner placed the animal on the subway seat next to the woman.

"She's like, 'The dog doesn’t belong on the seat.' He’s like, ‘I’m not moving my dog,'" Kyng said to the news station.

The two people reportedly began pushing each other before the dog grabbed onto the woman's shoe.

"He never told the dog to let her go at all," Kyng told CBS.

UPDATE: The pitbull's owner, Ruben Roncallo, 53, was arrested and charged with assault and reckless endangerment on May 1, an NYPD spokesman told Patch. Read that story here.

Image credit: Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images News