Crime & Safety
Cops Save 21 Freezing Felines Locked In Parked Upper East Side Van
Police said over 20 cats were found in a parked van in Lenox Hill on a frigid morning over the weekend, officials said.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — It's real-life Paw Patrol.
Officers from the 19th Precinct rescued 21 freezing felines found inside a locked Upper East Side minivan on a frigid morning over the weekend, officials said.
A neighbor first spotted the cat-laden vehicle on East 63rd Street and First Avenue at about 5 a.m. on Saturday and immediately dialed 911, according to police.
Find out what's happening in Upper East Sidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Temperatures dipped below freezing that prior evening and the city had issued a "Code Blue" weather warning, in place until three hours after the cats were discovered alone inside the parked Chrysler Pacifica.
Cold cats left in a car overnight rescued! Shortly before 5am, we received a 911 call of kittens locked in an unoccupied van. With freezing temps our cops acted fast & with the help of our Emergency Services Unit, freed the 21 felines & transported them to @NYCACC for care. pic.twitter.com/798PcVtgKU
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) November 25, 2023
Responding officers from the 19th Precinct — along with cops from the NYPD Emergency Services Unit — averted cat-astrophe and freed the kittens, bringing them to Animal Care Centers for evaluation, according to officials.
Find out what's happening in Upper East Sidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A team of veterinarians found the cats to be in good health, a police spokesperson said.
Animal Care Centers spokeswoman Katy Hansen told the Daily News that the cats were later returned to their owner.
“The owner insisted she was only away from the car temporarily,” Hansen told the Daily News.
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