Caught on video: Dog stolen from Brooklyn woman's front yard

NEW YORK - A dognapper was caught on video stealing a woman's dog from her front yard in Brooklyn, police say.

The Shih Tzu named Romeo Rivera has been missing for more than a month. Investigators are now asking for the public's help finding the dog and the alleged thief.

The 74-year-old victim told police she let her dog outside to go the bathroom around 9:30 a.m. on March 18. Surveillance cameras captured what happened next outside her home near Jerome Street and Pitkin Avenue in East New York.

The dog can be seen inside a fenced area when the suspect walks up. He appears to be pushing some kind of cart or carrier. The dog runs toward the suspect, who then bends down and pets him through the fence.

The video provided by police ends with them both walking out of the frame. It's unclear exactly how the suspect got the dog out of the fenced area.

Police said he was last seen heading south on Jerome Street toward Pitkin Avenue, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, red baseball hat and black sneakers. He was described as having a light complexion and medium build.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) , or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782 ). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips . All calls are kept confidential.