Video offers clues in Flatbush, Brooklyn bodega cat's apparent theft
Neighbors in Brooklyn are trying to solve the mystery of a beloved cat stolen from a local bodega.
The cat's owner believes new video could help solve the case.
Snowy the bodega cat's disappearance
A beautiful 5-month-old Persian named Snowy was stolen Thursday night from the Prince Deli on Cortelyou Road in Flatbush.
Ali Alesie is the store manager, and Snowy's rightful owner.
"A family member for the whole neighborhood. Everybody likes this cat," Alesie said. "The cat used to stay here and go outside and come back. It's well known in this area. Everybody knows the cat belongs to the bodega."
Surveillance video just outside the front door shows Snowy in the arms of a stranger who was last seen walking west toward Marlborough Road.
"I don't know him," Alesie said.
A hiccup in the police investigation
Alesie took the video straight to the police, but said the NYPD is no longer actively investigating after he says workers at a bodega down the block saw the cat get dropped off in front of the store. It's now believed the guy on the footage no longer has the cat.
"He threw it. He threw the cat like three blocks," Alesie said.
He's now posting flyers and offering a reward for a cat that neighbors who frequent the bodega know and love.
"It's horrible because I have a pet. I have a cat at home. If somebody would steal it, I don't know what to say," customer Alina Moldan said.
"My message is please bring it back. He's a family member," Alesie added.
