Man steals puppy from San Jose warehouse
SAN JOSE >> Luis Gutierrez did not want to leave his new puppy home alone, so he brought the six-week old husky-retriever to work with him last week at his family’s business in an industrial area of North San Jose. The puppy, Nyla, spent the week under the watchful eye of Gutierrez and several other family members.
Monday afternoon, while Gutierrez and other family members were in other parts of the building, a man walked into the empty warehouse, snatched Nyla and drove away, according to Gutierrez.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, which was provided to San Jose police, Gutierrez said. San Jose police verified they took a report Monday about the theft.
Gutierrez also provided the video to this news organization and posted it on Facebook in hopes of being reunited with the puppy.
“I just had her for eight days,” Gutierrez said. “I couldn’t leave her home. She is a husky mix. They are really playful. I can’t have her in a cramped space.”
On the video, a man driving a new Mercedes-Benz SUV with paper plates parked just outside the open warehouse at 3 p.m. Monday and walked inside.
Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, the man walked through the warehouse and looked around. After about 80 seconds, he appears to spot Nyla, sitting under a table.
The man looks outside, crouches down and reaches his hand toward the puppy. When Nyla walked to the man, he pet her, picked her up and walked back to the SUV.
A short time later, Gutierrez returned to the warehouse and noticed Nyla was missing. Gutierrez said he had been moving items in and out of a nearby storage unit when Nyla was taken.
After looking for 20 minutes, Gutierrez looked at the surveillance cameras and saw a stranger walk away with his dog.
“He walked all the way in and decided to take a puppy,” Gutierrez said. “To steal a puppy, it’s sad.”
Gutierrez said many of his family members who also work for the company became attached to Nyla and were distraught at her being taken. The family set up a Facebook page in hopes of being reunited with the puppy.
The puppy, which has gray fur with a white tail, had a pink collar with “Nyla” engraved on it.
Anyone with information on the case can call San Jose police Detective Ryan Wagner, with the Financial Crimes/Burglary Unit, 408277-4401.