Prospect Park Dog Attacker Case Closed By NYPD, Shocked Owner Says

NEW YORK CITY ? The owner of the dog fatally attacked in Prospect Park says police quietly closed her case without making an arrest, despite Brooklynites repeatedly reporting sightings of the suspect. Both NYPD and City Hall officials say the case remains open.

Jessica Chrustic ? whose dog Moose was beaten with stick in an unprovoked attack on Aug. 3 ? received the bad news after weeks of pleading with 78th Precinct police to catch the man who killed her dog, she told Patch Tuesday.

?The goalposts being moved was a good analogy," Chrustic said. "But now they?re taking the goalpost down and taking it home.?

A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams ? whom Park Slopers are trying to rally to their aid ? told Patch Chrustic's account contained "some inaccurate info" and police told Patch the investigation was "active and ongoing."

Chrustic stands by her account.

"The lieutenant informed me that the case was being closed,? Chrustic said, "There was no misunderstanding what he was saying to me."

The lieutenant delivered the unwelcome news after an unsuccessful ride-along in Prospect Park Monday afternoon that Chrustic said was doomed to failure.

That's because police took Chrustic out in their cop car in the afternoon, despite park-goers repeatedly reporting the man appears only in the early morning or late evening.

But Chrustic went along in a desperate attempt to catch the man locals say still roams the park and has been a violent menace within it for years.

After the ride-along, the lieutenant told Chrustic to expect an email informing her the case was closed, and that representatives from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would contact her, she told Patch.

He then offered Chrustic advice she said left her aghast: that if she did see the man, she should follow him into the park and try to photograph him.

"It?s beyond the pale to ask of the victim to follow the person who attacked them,? Chrustic said.

?It?s unfathomable that that would be suggested...I?m running out of polite words to say [I'm] 'shocked.'"

This isn't the first time Chrustic's work with police has left her feeling out of control, she said.

After Moose died, Chrustic was surprised to learn that police officers who responded hadn't filed a police report.

And cops since have told Chrustic they can't arrest or identify the man without a witness being physically present, she said.

This puts Chrustic in a near-impossible position, being both afraid of the man who killed her dog and desperate to make sure he doesn't attack another animal, she said. Chrustic also doesn't understand why cops are putting the onus on her.

?Short of me doing a citizen?s arrest," Chrustic said, "I can't understand what the police want from me.?