A Boston reporter found a stolen dog and dog thief while reporting on live television about the missing pup.
A reporter finding the stolen dog she is reporting about is not something you could make up.
Cambridge journalist Juliana Mazza was reporting on the dognapping of Titus, a German shorthaired pointer. Mazza was standing in the parking lot the 13-month-old dog had been taken from and sharing the dog's details and the perpetrator. The dog was sitting in its owner's vehicle in a parking lot when the dog left occurred on May 7. The pet owner reported the missing dog to Cambridge Police, who posted on their social media accounts looking for the dog and asking for tips from the public.
Cambridge police updated their post when the man was seen walking the dog over the Boston University Bridge. Mazza was at the scene of the crime the following day, reporting on the sad dog theft.
Thief Spotted in Background With Stolen Dog
Yesterday at approximately 12:32p, an unknown suspect broke into and entered a vehicle that was parked at 620 Memorial Drive & stole a 13-month-old white German Short Haired Pointer out of the vehicle. The suspect was then observed walking the dog over the BU Bridge into Boston. pic.twitter.com/titQ0WvPMM
— Cambridge Police?? (@CambridgePolice) May 8, 2021
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As Mazza was telling viewers about the dognapper, she noticed that there was a man walking a dog behind her. The man matched the description perfectly, as did the dog he was walking. She had her cameraman keep the video rolling as she approached the suspect.
Like the smart journalist she is, Mazza pretended to be interested in the dog walking by and asked about his breed. While talking to the man, she asked to pet the dog, carefully grabbing the dog's collar and check for his name on the dog tag. Sure enough, the name tag had "Titus" on it as well as the owner's phone number.
Finding the Stolen Dog
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!
My photog John & I were covering a stolen dog story in Cambridge when all of a sudden we spot THE DOG!!! We were able to convince the suspect to give us the pup & kept him engaged until @CambridgePolice arrived shortly after. We are SO HAPPY Titus is safe! ?? https://t.co/FPg2Pfsqc2 pic.twitter.com/s1ESKLiqIb— Juliana Mazza (@julianamazzatv) May 8, 2021
Mazza asked the man where he got the dog and gave Cambridge Police Department a call. The dognapper was identified as 29-year-old Kyle Gariepy. The story that Gariepy gave Mazza was pure fiction and not very clever either.
He told WHDH-TV reporter Juliana Mazza that it was all a simple mistake.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Mazza said, "He said that he was supposed to be walking a dog and he somehow grabbed the wrong dog. And 24 hours had gone by, and he never once had tried to call the police or try to call the dog's owner, whose number is on the back of the dog tag."
The story of how he got the pooch was not adding up. Mazza and her cameraman kept the man and the dog busy until the police arrived. Officers arrested Gariepy and confirmed that he was the man who took Titus out of his owner's car.
The dog was reunited with owner Greg Siesczkiewicz who was thrilled to have his pup back.
Gariepy is being charged with larceny and breaking into a locked vehicle.
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