LI Man Leaves Dog In Direct Sun For 5 Hours, No Food Or Water: SPCA

FIRE ISLAND, NY — A Fire Island man was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on Friday, after Suffolk County SCPA discovered his dog was alone in extreme heat for hours without food or water.

Adrian Vazquez, 43, of Fire Island, was charged with two misdemeanor charges and a violation, officials said.

According to an investigation, Vazquez had left his white retriever, Nova, outdoors for at least five hours. The dog was confined to an outdoor house deck which had no shade and no access to any food, water or shelter, officials said.

The temperature was about 71 degrees, and it was a humid, sunny day with an air quality alert in effect. The dog, which was in direct sunlight, was found to be in distress, panting heavily, lying down, moving very little and had sunken eyes with red rashes around the eyes, officials said.

Vazquez, who also had an outstanding arrest warrant on an unrelated matter, was arrested on Friday and processed by SPCA detectives and the Suffolk County Police at the Suffolk County Police Department, Third Precinct. He was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip.

SPCA Chief Roy Gross said that animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Suffolk County. If you witness any incident of animal cruelty or neglect in Suffolk County, please contact the Suffolk County SPCA at (631) 382-7722.