NJ Rescue Horse Heroically Stops Robbery In NYC

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — A horse saved from slaughter by a Monmouth County animal sanctuary is now being hailed as a crime-fighting hero after chasing down a suspected purse snatcher on a busy New York City street.

The dramatic moment unfolded April 15, when an NYPD Mounted Unit officer patrolling the Upper West Side in Manhattan intervened in a robbery while on horseback, helping stop the suspect in broad daylight, police said.

In NYPD bodycam footage, the officer, atop a retired racehorse named Kelly, is seen galloping after and arresting a woman who allegedly snatched a victim's purse near West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue.

Kelly was rescued by the Standardbred Retirement Foundation from a "kill pen" in 2020, the foundation's Executive Director, Judy Bokman, told Patch.

"I can't tell you how many times I look at that video," Bokman said of the bodycam footage. "It almost brings tears to your eyes, because you get so proud of these horses you've given a second chance. It's a great feeling."

The graceful animal was at immediate risk of being shipped to another country to be killed for meat if no one chose to save and rehabilitate him, Bokman said.

"He's an exceptional horse," Bokman said. "He's extremely handsome, he's very quiet, he is so unfazed by anything around him. As one could see, in the middle of a New York Street, nothing bothered him whatsoever."

The donation-based organization, which has rescued thousands of retired racehorses from the meat trade over the past 37 years, rehabilitates the horses and then gives them second chances as therapy horses, police horses, riding horses, trail horses and more, Bokman said.

Kelly's exceptional temperament made the horse an ideal candidate for police work, and he was adopted by the NYPD shortly after his rescue, Bokman said.

"This particular breed has such a super temperament, just very smart. We call them the brainiac breed," Bokman said.

The NYPD named the standardbred in honor of an officer who was killed in the line of duty, Bokman said.

"Whether on foot or on hooves, our officers are always ready," the NYPD wrote on its X account (formerly Twitter).

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.