Bearded Dragon Stolen From UWS Pet Store Is Safe, Police Say

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side family is celebrating the return of its beloved pet after the lizard was swiped from a neighborhood pet store, police said.

Officers from the NYPD's 24th Precinct spotted the lizard thief walking on the Upper West Side last week and "took police action," according to a post from the precinct's twitter page. The lizard, a bearded dragon named Sandy, was then returned from the Petqua store on Broadway and West 98th Street where it was stolen to await pickup from its family, according to police.

Sandy was being boarded at Petqua by her owners when she was stolen, the West Side Rag reported in May. The family that owns Sandy had boarded the pet with the store multiple times without any prior troubles.

A store manager told the West Side Rag that he noticed the thieves who stole Sandy come into the store and had been suspicious because one of the men tried to sell him a baby bearded dragon before. The two thieves managed to distract another employee who was directed to watch them and run out of the store with Sandy in their possession, according to the report.