A dog named Ajax was struck and killed on Beach Street early Wednesday while out walking with his owner. The driver who hit him pulled over and got out of the vehicle before getting back in and leaving. Manchester-by-the-Sea police are now asking anyone in the area that night to check their surveillance cameras as they try to track down the vehicle and the person behind the wheel.
Ajax, a beagle-collie mix, was walking with his owner, Carley Cook, when he was hit, according to NBC Boston, which described the pair as inseparable. Police are seeking the public’s assistance in finding the driver involved in the hit-and-run, as reported by Boston.com. Cook told CBS News Boston that her pet was hit and killed by a truck right in front of her before the driver took off.
Investigators believe the vehicle involved was a black, four-door Ford F-150 pickup with an open bed and no bed cover, per the Boston.com report. The truck was reported traveling through the area of Union, Beach, Masconomo and Proctor streets, as well as Smith’s and Gales point, the outlet noted, suggesting the driver passed through several parts of town before or after the crash.
Police Want Footage From a Narrow 30-Minute Window
Police are asking anyone with surveillance cameras in those areas to review footage recorded between midnight and 12:30 a.m., the window during which the truck was reportedly moving through town. The Gloucester Daily Times reported that officers are specifically requesting that residents with cameras covering that stretch send in whatever they captured.
Anyone with video or other information that could help the investigation is asked to call Manchester-by-the-Sea police at 978-526-1212, according to the station's report. Officers have not said whether any footage has been recovered so far.
State Law Requires Drivers to Report Hitting an Animal
Under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 272, Section 80H, a driver who strikes and injures or kills a dog or cat is required to immediately report the accident to the animal's owner or to a police officer in the town where it happened. Fleeing the scene without making that report would run counter to the statute's requirements.
A Painful Echo of an Earlier Manchester Case
This is not the first time Manchester police have appealed to the public after a dog was killed by a hit-and-run driver. In 2024, officers searched for a driver accused of hitting and killing Odin, a 2-year-old, 100-pound Newfoundland, who was struck on Ocean Street around 8:10 p.m. and dragged under the vehicle for about 50 feet before it sped away, according to the Gloucester Daily Times. That case was separate from Ajax's death, though both involved a driver leaving after a dog was struck.
For now, Cook is left grieving a dog she described as inseparable from her, while police ask neighbors to review surveillance footage. Police have not announced an arrest or identified a suspect in Ajax's death as the search continues.
