A dog walking with its owner on Stone Street in Auburn was struck and killed by a driver who fled the scene just before 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, and police are now asking the public to help track down the vehicle. The car did not strike the dog's owner, but it hit the dog as it passed the pair before speeding off toward South Street.
According to MassLive.com, Auburn police are asking the public for information about the driver responsible. Police are urging residents along Stone Street and South Street to check their home security and doorbell cameras for footage that might identify the vehicle or show what happened in the moments before and after the crash. The outlet reports that police described the dog as a member of someone's family, underscoring the loss for the animal's owner.
Police Ask Neighbors to Check Doorbell Footage
Investigators are leaning heavily on the community for leads, since no vehicle description has been confirmed publicly. Per the same account, police are asking for the community's help in identifying the vehicle and determining exactly what occurred on Stone Street that evening. Anyone with video footage or other information is asked to contact the Auburn Police Department, and reports can be made anonymously, referencing police report number 26-1438-OF.
Stone Street itself is a quiet, historic residential thoroughfare that connects toward South Street and is home to the Joseph Stone House, a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Town of Auburn. The crash happened on a stretch of road residents likely associate more with evening dog walks than hit-and-run investigations.
What Massachusetts Law Says About Fleeing After Hitting a Pet
Massachusetts law treats a driver's failure to report hitting a dog or cat as its own statutory offense. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 272, Section 80H, any driver who strikes and injures or kills a dog or cat is legally required to immediately report the accident to the animal's owner, custodian, or local police, according to the 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The penalties escalate for repeat offenders. A first offense for failing to report striking a dog or cat carries a fine of up to $100, while a second or subsequent offense is punishable by up to $500 in fines, payment of up to $2,500 in medical expenses, and as much as six months in a house of correction, per state law. Separately, fleeing the scene of a crash involving property damage can trigger broader criminal charges under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 24, which carries up to two years in jail, a fine of up to $200, and a minimum six-month license suspension, according to Enjuris.
Even so, state civil law draws a hard line around what a grieving owner can ultimately recover. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 155, companion animals are legally categorized as personal property, which restricts civil recovery primarily to economic losses such as veterinary expenses rather than non-economic emotional distress, per Brandon J. Broderick's legal analysis of the statute.
Leadership and Local Enforcement Context
The Auburn Police Department has been led by Chief R. Scott Mills since July 15, 2025, when he was promoted from deputy chief after previously supervising the department's Detective Unit, according to the Town of Auburn. In the days before the Stone Street crash, the department had partnered with the regional CEMLEC Motorcycle Unit for coordinated traffic and school bus safety enforcement patrols in late September, a sign of heightened visible enforcement on municipal roadways around the time of the collision.
The Stone Street case also lands amid a broader national trend. Hit-and-run crashes accounted for 25% of all U.S. pedestrian fatalities in 2024, a steady rise from 20% in 2019, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For now, Auburn investigators are focused squarely on identifying the driver who left the dog's owner alone on Stone Street, hoping a neighbor's camera caught what the street itself did not reveal.
