Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA Honors Brave Lost Dog Who Ran Through Queens-Midtown Tunnel During Rush Hour (And Officers Who Helped Her)
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 22, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 5
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 22, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this month, a dog went on a possibly magical, but more likely harrowing, journey from the Upper West Side all the way to Long Island City. During her journey, she was spotted darting between cars inside the Queens-Midtown Tunnel during rush hour, and was finally rescued about a week after going missing. Today, the MTA honored that brave dummy, as well as the officers who helped ensure she wasn't run over by a car and was brought home safe.
Indie, a rescue pup from Kolkata, India who was only adopted three months ago, ran away from a dog walker near Amsterdam Avenue and West 78th Street on June 8th. Before she even realized she was gone, owner Heather Angus said that people were already posting about seeing a dog running around the streets of the UWS on Nextdoor. One person wrote they saw a dog “running at speeds never before seen” while evading people and vehicles.
Somehow, Indie ended up making her way to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, where she was captured on surveillance camera—see the video below, which has a title that already sounds like it could be the next hot indie movie ("Indie The Dog Makes Her Way Through The Queens Midtown Tunnel").
Sgt. Orlando Caholo ordered oncoming traffic be stopped briefly to prevent the possibility of an accident, but officers were unable to get her before she got to the other side.
After that, Officer Heather Minutello, who had witnessed the incident, got in touch with Angus to let her know what was happening. “I'm so glad she wasn't hurt in the process. I'm so glad she was found. So cute," Minutello said today, very accurately.
Other people spotted the dog running through Hunters Point after that and posted about it online; Angus put flyers up in the neighborhood, and eventually, a worker contacted her to let her know the dog was hanging out inside a 30th Place warehouse which was already filled with stray cats (and thus, had water and some food available).
“She came home and ran circles around the apartment and found her favorite tennis balls,” Angus told the NY Post last week. “This story is a miracle, but it was only possible because of all the angels involved … I’ve lived in the city for 11 years and it never ceases to amaze me.”
At a press conference outside the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on Tuesday morning, the MTA honored the officers who helped in the rescue, including Minutello and Caholo.
“Thank you for having Indie and I here today to thank these amazing officers," Angus said at that presser. “I'm forever grateful for your speedy action to shut down the tunnel and for calling and that life-saving tip. I thought we may be here to pay Indie's toll because she was not wearing an E-ZPass that day.”
Tagged
MTA
queens midtown tunnel
lost dog
dogs
dog news
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
GOP candidates in NY face a changed landscape on immigration
The 'migrant crisis' has changed markedly since the voters went to the polls two years ago.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
NJ Gov. Sherrill: Election is secure, noncitizens taken off voter rolls
By
Michael Sol Warren
Ex-NYPD officer again faces murder charge in George Washington Bridge shooting
By
Samantha Max
Former NYC buildings boss helped reopen mayor's favored restaurant despite health violations
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .