What to Know
- Marley, an 8-month-old puppy, went missing May 23 when she jumped off the platform at Herald Square and ran into the tunnel
- A good Samaritan found Marley's body on Wednesday, not far from the platform she ran away from; the woman picked up the remains
- An MTA spokesperson said it was a "sad outcome"
Marley, the adorable 8-month-old golden cocker spaniel who went missing on the subway tracks in Midtown, has been found dead — and the woman who found her is blaming the MTA for not getting her sooner. However, MTA officials say they did all they could to try to locate the pooch.
Marley was with Paula Boodoosingh at the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station on May 23rd when she escaped the harness. The pooch took off onto the tracks of the uptown Q line, halting trains for a short while MTA employees went looking.
They continued searching for the dog as Boodoosingh and her daughter Bianca nervously waited at the station, even as trains were allowed to resume going through at reduced speeds.
A good Samaritan found Marley's body on Wednesday, not far from the platform she ran away from. Simone Peterson said she looked from the edge of the platform and could see the dog's body underneath the rails.
Peterson gathered the remains and did not notify the MTA of it because "they didn't deserve to know."
"The MTA refused to do anything, even when they knew for a fact exactly where this puppy was," Peterson told News 4.
Local
A different woman posted on Facebook on Sunday saying she spotted the puppy running on the track, and said she tried to notify the MTA via the Customer Assistance intercom, but got no response. Peterson said the MTA should've halted trains at that time to try and save the dog.
However, according to the MTA, the dog got loose at one of the busiest station at the height of rush hour prompting trains to be held, then travel at slow speeds as a search was conducted, causing delays.
The agency also says that transit personnel is trained to look for anything unusual on the tracks and have been on the lookout for the dog.
The MTA initially said Wednesday the agency did not have any record of the dog being found. On Thursday, however, the MTA said a track worker found the deceased dog and returned the remains to a representative of the family that very same day.
The MTA also referenced its animal policies: service dogs are allowed in the system but leashed and all other dogs must travel in carriers.
“This is a very sad outcome, and our condolences go to the family,” MTA spokesperson Shams Tarek said.
It is not known what Peterson plans to do with Marley's remains.
