Reports Of Tiger In Washington Heights Lead To Capture Of Raccoon

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Residents of Washington Heights woke up Thursday to unconfirmed reports that a tiger was roaming the streets of their neighborhood. After police responded to the West 160s near St. Nicholas Avenue, the true cause of concern was revealed to be a raccoon.

The raccoon was contained by animal control around 8:45 a.m., an NYPD spokesman said. The spokesman said he has "no idea" how the rodent was mistaken for one of the jungle's fiercest predators.

"It was a raccoon," an NYPD spokesman said. "That's all we're saying about it."

The raccoon was put down by the Animal Care Centers of New York. A spokeswoman for the organization said it's policy is to put down all vector species such as raccoons, skunks and bats.

"The raccoon was brought into our facility and was euthanized as required by law for all vector species animals brought into the shelter," an ACC spokeswoman said.

All mammals are a risk for spreading rabies, but raccoons carry a higher risk, the spokeswoman said.

One source of the false report appears to be the Citizen app. Citizen tweeted: "We’re trying to confirm this report of a tiger loose in Upper Manhattan" around 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

The Citizen app describes its mission as "to keep people safe and informed" by "empowering the city of the future, building new ways to bring people together, creating a safer world, and democratizing 911." The application alerts users to nearby police and fire happenings it picks up on scanners.

Photo by Shutterstock / Lukas Gojda