Long Island Woman Whose Dog Was Killed in Hit-and-Run Gifted Two New Puppies

A Brooklyn woman gifted her two new puppies following the death of her dog, Peanut

What to Know

  • A woman was walking her dog, Peanut, last month on Long Island when the dog was hit by a blue minivan, police say
  • The owner of the minivan stopped briefly but then took off and didn't offer to help, according to police
  • Police released surveillance footage of the alleged hit-and-run and are offering a reward

A tragic tale has a silver lining for one Long Island woman whose dog was killed in a hit-and-run last month.

Marie Del Papa was given two new dachshund puppies by a Brooklyn woman named Shirley, who saw the news of the accident on NBC 4 New York. The two met at South 16th Street near the Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park Friday. 

Del Papa, 66, had been walking her dog Peanut in Levittown Sept. 20 when the pooch wandered into the roadway and was hit by a blue minivan.

Authorities said the driver stopped briefly before leaving without offering to help and without identifying him or herself. The dog had been on an extender leash that allowed it to walk into the street.

Police arrested 37-year-old Ana Rodriguez of Levittown on Oct. 3 in the hit-and-run death of the dog after surveillance video of the minivan that killed the pooch was released. 

Rodriguez was arrested at her home on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with an injury to an animal, Nassau police said. 

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