New York woman walking her dog at 3am allegedly detained by police officers for no reason and tries to take her dog away: ‘We are the 911’
The exact reason why she was allegedly detained was not made clear by the officers.
Taking your dog for a walk is generally a mundane activity, but for one woman, her 3 a.m. walk on the streets of New York City led to an unexpected police encounter. @nuyoricannomad shared the late-night incident in a video on TikTok, capturing the 16-minute police confrontation.
According to Nuyoricannomad, the incident took place in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood when two officers allegedly stopped a woman as she was crossing the street with her leashed dog. However, the video does not show what happened prior to the confrontation with police.
The woman repeatedly questioned the officers about why she was being detained, claiming she did nothing wrong to warrant the stop. One officer appeared to grab her arm and take away the leash she was holding before asking her for her identification. Her friends, including Nuyoricannomad, who was filming, defended the woman, insisting that she hadn’t broken any laws and that the officers had no right to touch her.
Police allegedly threaten woman with arrest
“All we ask is that you get on the sidewalk,” the officer said, still holding the dog’s leash. The woman argued that she was already on the sidewalk and had crossed at the crosswalk when the walk signal was green, but the officer insisted otherwise. The officers also claimed she was “dancing” on the street, but the woman denied this, telling and showing the officers she had surgery on her foot. “What’s your problem? Why are you so mean?” the woman added.
Nuyoricannomad told the officer that he was going to call 911, and the officer responded, “We are the 911.” The officer then allegedly threatened to arrest the woman if she failed to identify herself and made her friends move away. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. I don’t have a criminal record. I’m a nurse!” the woman argued.
The woman repeatedly told the officer not to touch her, and at one point said he was hurting her while he had a hold of her arm. One of her friends also appeared to be communicating with a 911 operator in the background, requesting that a supervisor respond to the scene. When the supervisor arrived, however, he allegedly told the officers to continue with the probe while making Nuyoricannomad and the other friend stand back.
Jaywalking is not illegal in New York
“We were just out walking her dog and chatting, and these guys decided to pull over and harass her. […] They’re trying to write a ticket,” her friend said. Nuyoricannomad added, “They’re writing a woman a ticket for walking her dog. That is crazy.”
In New York, there are no state laws prohibiting individuals from walking their dogs at any time of the day or night. The law simply requires that dogs be leashed at all times in public spaces, unless in a designated off-leash area, and that the leash must not be longer than six feet.
On the other hand, jaywalking, which had been illegal since 1958 and carried fines of up to $250, was decriminalized in New York under Local Law 98 of 2024, which took effect in June 2025. This means that pedestrians are now allowed to cross the street at any time, regardless of traffic signals.
The video also mentioned a possible pedestrian summons. However, it ultimately remains unclear whether the woman was arrested, issued a ticket or summons, or what specific offense the officers believed she had committed. The New York Police Department 17th Precinct, as of writing, has not responded to the woman and her friends’ account of the incident.
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