On the Street

'Like Chasing Cotton Candy': N.J. Police Pursue Pink Poodle across River

March 6, 2025

Garfield police helped rescue a "pink-dyed poodle" that had escaped from its home and tried to elude officers by jumping into the frigid Passaic River and swimming to a small island.

By Brooke Baitinger

Source The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)

Garfield, NJ, police helped rescue a 'pink-dyed poodle' Monday that escaped from its home, jumped into the frigid Passaic River and swam to a small island. — Garfield, NJ, police helped rescue a "pink-dyed poodle" Monday that escaped from its home, jumped into the frigid Passaic River and swam to a small island.

A “pink” poodle made a break for it in a New Jersey community, leading officers on a chase through the middle of a frigid river, officials said.

The dog’s owner told Garfield Police her “pink-dyed poodle” had escaped from their home around 11 a.m. on Monday, March 3, the agency said on Instagram.

“A heartwarming rescue story unfolded on Monday afternoon when a small pink poodle, later identified as ‘Molly,’ was saved after a perilous swim across the Passaic River,” the agency said in the post.

The department received a call about the pink poodle running loose along a road around 4:15 p.m. Officers found Molly but couldn’t quite catch her as she repeatedly eluded them on the riverbank, the department said.

In an interview after the rescue, one of the officers told Eyewitness News ABC7 the dog was “seven pounds and fast.”

“It was like chasing cotton candy,” he said.

Finally, as officers approached Molly around 5:15 p.m., the dog “jumped into the frigid waters of the Passaic River and began swimming towards Clifton,” the department said.

“Garfield officers observed from shore as the dog made her way to a small island located between Garfield and Clifton by the Dundee Lake,” the department said.

Firefighters who joined in with boats and specialized equipment were able to access the island using an engine from the Clifton side. A firefighter found Molly on the island “cold but unharmed” just before 7 p.m. and brought the “determined poodle” back to the Garfield side, where she was “reunited with her relieved owner,” officials said.

“That’s one fierce poodle, swimming like that!” someone said in the comments. “Glad it all ended well.”

Garfield is about a 20-mile drive west from New York City.

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