VIDEO: DEC Investigating Mountain Lion Sighting in Upstate New York Residential Neighborhood

A potential mountain lion sighting in the heart of Rochester has city residents on edge and authorities actively investigating after viral video footage appeared to show a large feline roaming city streets.

The Rochester Police Department issued, and later lifted, a shelter-in-place order overnight following multiple 911 calls reporting a wild animal in residential neighborhoods.

The alarm was triggered by a widely circulated video on social media that many believe depicts a mountain lion (also known as a cougar or puma) moving through a residential street.

According to Lt. Anthony DelVecchio, the video surfaced Wednesday and quickly caught public attention. It led to “numerous” calls to emergency dispatchers throughout the evening.

One reported sighting near North Clinton Avenue and Rauber Street prompted police to issue the brief shelter-in-place order. Officers searched the area but were ultimately unable to confirm the presence of any wild animal, leading to the advisory being lifted.

Among those who say they spotted the animal firsthand is Curtis Jones, a Rochester resident who claims to have encountered the big cat prowling near his home.

Armed with a baseball bat, Jones described the moment he saw what he insists was a mountain lion: “It went right over there,” he said, pointing down the block. “And it said, ‘Rawr!’ I seen it, it seen me — it was real.”

Jones said the sighting startled both him and his neighbors who scattered in fear.

“I heard the ‘Rawr,’ I felt the ‘Rawr.’ In my head, I’m like, ‘No, I gotta go.’”

Although police didn’t locate the animal, Jones believes it’s still nearby.

“They ain’t find it last night. It’s still out here. Could be in one of these bushes,” he warned.

“I don’t mess with lions, tigers, bears — none of that. I don’t even do roller coasters,” he added, clutching his bat. “I’m gonna protect my block.”

A Ring camera on Grand Avenue appears to have captured the animal moving along a sidewalk.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deployed a drone during the search, but no further sightings were confirmed.

The Seneca Park Zoo advised city officials that none of its animals were missing, eliminating the possibility of an escaped zoo animal.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now involved, reviewing the footage and investigating whether the animal could indeed be a mountain lion.

“Based on the doorbell video and measurements taken at the site, the animal does appear to possibly be a cougar, assuming the footage hasn’t been altered,” the DEC stated Thursday.

The agency noted that if it is a cougar, it likely did not arrive naturally as wild mountain lions haven’t had a breeding population in New York since the 1800s. Instead, the DEC suspects it could be an illegally kept exotic pet that either escaped or was released.

The last confirmed sighting of a wild cougar in the state was in 2011, but individual animals have been known to pass through New York from places as far as South Dakota.

The DEC urges residents to exercise caution if they encounter a large, unfamiliar animal.

VIDEO

VIDEO: DEC Investigating Mountain Lion Sighting in Upstate New York Residential Neighborhood