Little Maltese dog plucked from East River adopted by NYPD savior

Rebecca White and Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News on May 10, 2025

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NEW YORK — A small white Maltese found struggling to stay afloat in the East River six weeks ago has a new owner — one of the NYPD Harbor Unit cops who plucked him from the water.

Police Officer Jared Desalvo opened his home to the small dog, now named Hudson, after picking up the adorable pooch at the Animal Care Centers of NYC’s Queens shelter Saturday.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to give her a second chance,” Desalvo, a 10-year New York Police Department veteran, said about his new best friend. “She’ll be a great part of our family. She’ll be very well taken care of.”

The adoption came as a surprise to Desalvo’s two children, Salvatore, 9, and Stella, 8, who arrived a few minutes after the NYPD officer finished the adoption paperwork.

“They believe that they’re going to a (Communion) party,” Desalvo said, grinning from ear to ear. “They know about the rescue and everything. Since that day, they’ve been asking constantly about the status of the dog.”

When the kids arrived, their peals of excitement rang through the ACC facility.

“She’s easy to hold!” Stella said, hugging Hudson tightly.

Desalvo and Police Officers Joseph Pascone and Jenny Driscoll were dispatched to retrieve the little white dog from the frigid waters off the South Street Seaport on March 30.

“We happened to be not too far away at the time and, as we approached, we saw a woman kind of waving and pointing to a sailboat that was docked in the water,” Desalvo told reporters at the time. “As we got closer, you can see there is a small white object. When we got even closer, we could tell it was a white dog with a pink harness.”

The frightened Maltese was swimming in circles, but Desalvo and his colleagues were able to pull her to safety.

“It’s definitely an urgent situation,” he remembered. “It’s a small dog. The water can be a little rough over there and it’s even difficult for person to even swim in there.”

Despite wearing a harness, the Maltese had no collar or tags and had not been microchipped. How the pup wound up in the water remained a mystery.

The diminutive dog suffered a respiratory infection from swallowing so much water, but was otherwise in good health.

Yet, over the passing weeks, no one surfaced looking for the small pup. Desalvo had been keeping tabs with the ACC and asked to adopt the dog as soon as the time was right. He named her Hudson, even though he met her on the East River.

“(It’s) maybe the wrong river. But she’s named after the neighboring river,” he quipped.

The day Desalvo plucked Hudson from the water, his wife Nicole wanted to adopt her immediately.

“I told him to take this dog home when he first sent me the picture, but Jared’s a rule follower,” Stella said, laughing. “That’s why he’s a police officer!”

They’ve already bought a bunch of toys for Hudson, but expect she’ll spend most of her time playing with Bocce, the family’s 14-year-old Boston Terrier.

“It’ll be a surprise for her, as well,” Desalvo said about Bocce. “She gets along great with other dogs. They’ll be best buds.”