Moose's Attacker Assaulted A Prospect Park Dog Years Ago, Owner Says

NEW YORK CITY — Nicole Haddad's heart sank when she read about the dog fatally attacked in Prospect Park, by a man police have yet to catch, because it was the same man who'd attacked her dog years ago.

“He was screaming, ‘Get your dogs out of here. Get your dogs out of here," Haddad said of the man who attacked her dog with a stick in 2019.

"I could not believe he was still out there terrorizing our community."

The Windsor Terrace woman is one of at least five Patch readers who say they've been menaced by the man who beat Jessica Chrustic's dog with a stick during a violent encounter on Aug. 3 that ultimately cost Moose his life.

Chrustic said she's working with the NYPD, while other locals — who have been concerned about the man's continued presence in the park — are wondering why it's taken police weeks to respond to a threatening presence targeting defenseless dogs.

One local group has even taken it upon themselves to start a Guardian Angels-type neighborhood watch group, "The Park Slope Panthers," largely because of the attack on Moose.

"The goal is to be eyes and ears and to take our neighborhood back," the Panthers' page states.

Haddad notes the man has been on police radar since 2019, when she filed a report.

“He needs to be taken away," Haddad said. "He needs to be taken away from the park."

"You Love Your Dog More Than You Love God"

The first things Haddad noticed about the man walking toward her and her dog Kingslay were his bag of the recycling, the large tree branch he used as a walking stick, and the obscenities he shouted at her.

“He was screaming, ‘Get your dogs out of here. Get your dogs out of here," Haddad said. “He said, You guys are out for blood. You won’t rest until you get blood."

Haddad had come to Long Meadow the morning of June 5, 2019, for some off-leash hours fun with Kingslay when she came face to face with man, she said.

"In that exact moment, he swung the stick and hit Kingslay in the chest with the stick."

Haddad said she "saw red," leashed up Kingslay and screamed at the man to back off while she called police.

The man, when he realized the cops were on the phone, walked away toward the woods as Haddad followed him so she could point him out to police, she said.

The man eluded Haddad and left her to talk to police officers, who took and filed a report, she said.

Haddad took Kingslay to the veterinarian with a red mark on his side from the man's stick, according to photographs and vet reports she provided to Patch.

“I, unlike Jessica, got very lucky," Haddad said. "Kingslay has no internal damage and living a physically healthy life."

But Kingslay's mental and emotional health — as well as Haddad's — took a toll, she said. Her once-friendly and playful dog started to act nervous and bark at strangers after the attack, she said.

"I now have an aggressive dog where I never had an aggressive dog,” she said.

This week, Haddad contacted the NYPD and an investigating officer, who seemed "incredibly grateful," said he'd add her report to Chrustic's.

Haddad also plans to canvass the park with police in hopes of finding and identifying her attacker, who may still be roaming the park.

It's possible, as Haddad has seen him three times in as many years. One time, as Haddad sat next to a breastfeeding friend and cradled Kingsley, the man rode up on a bicycle.

“He eyed me aggressively," Haddad said. Then he said, "'You love your dog more than you love God.’”

'If I Didn’t Jump, I Would Have Gotten Hit'

The attack on Chrustic and Moose didn't just dredge up traumatic memories for dog owners, but a dog walker as well.

Zoe Schacht-Levine dodged an attack from the man near the Parkside Avenue Q train station near Prospect Park in June, she told Patch.

The man, who had a cart full of recycling, yelled at her to get out of his way, she said.

He then took a stick out of his cart and started to swing it, "to the point you can feel it whipping through the air,” she said.

"If I didn’t jump, I would have gotten hit,” she said. "It was a very short incident, but I have could have gotten hurt if he did make contact with me."

Schacht-Levine, who works as a dog walker but was unaccompanied by a dog, was struck by the similarities between her encounter and Chrustic's story, she told Patch.

Schacht-Levine said she looks back and wishes she filed a police report.

“Everything that she described is what happened to me," she said.

'A Very Proactive Approach'

A top police commander and officers this week began patrolling the area after reports from Patch and other outlets about the man's continued presence in the park, according to a 78th Precinct tweet and a grateful Chrustic.

"It appears the police are taking a very proactive approach by being out in the morning by being by the Picnic House and talking to people walking their dogs," Chrustic told Patch.

Chrustic said she worked with an NYPD sketch artist this week to put together a portrait of the attacker, whom she described as a man with dreadlocks, dark clothing and an ever-present bag of recycling and a large stick.

She also sent Patch a photo of an NYPD flyer showing two photos of the man, but police officials didn't respond to a reporter's request for the poster or updates on the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Park Slope Panthers plan to meet on Sept. 10 to discuss ways to keep themselves and their neighbors protected.

"In light of people feeling unsafe to use Prospect Park due to recent attacks of both people and dogs, in one case resulting in the death of a dog; and in light of the epidemic of packages being stolen from stoops and lobbies, we want to form a neighborhood watch," the group's announcement reads.

"Violence is not condoned."