$5,000 reward offered for Chicago dog that may be in Paramus, NJ

PARAMUS — A Chicago woman is working with police to identify a New Jersey couple who unknowingly bought her stolen dog from a Craigslist seller.

Nia Morgan said on March 18 that she left her dog "Z" with a dog-sitter she hired at the website rover.com. The sitter said he lost the dog in Waukegan, Illinois.

A woman from Paramus later notified Morgan that she saw "Z" with a couple at one of the city's dog parks. The couple told her that they bought their dog on Craigslist from someone who had adopted the dog from a Chicago shelter.

She is offering a $5,000 reward for the dog's safe return.

"If you have my dog, please know how thankful I am for you taking care of him. This is not your fault. All I want is the safe return of my dog," Morgan wrote on her Facebook page.

"Z" is described as brown and white with very tight curls and weighing 40 pounds. It has a white snout with a mark on top of head, brown ears, a mask-like shape around eyes and brown spotting down the spine. The dog is microchipped.

Morgan ask anyone who knows the couple who may have her dog or sees the dog to call 201-262-3400 X1413.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

NJ arrests 31 accused child predators in "Operation 24/7"

A roundup of 31 men have been accused of sexually exploiting children online, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on July 14 while detailing "Operation 24/7."

The suspects “possessed and or distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse, including in many cases videos of young children being raped by adults,” Grewal said.

Chat apps and gaming platforms remain favorite hunting grounds for child predators and even as the pandemic winds down, many children have continued to spend more time online.

State Police received 39% more tips in just the first 6 months of 2021 than they received in the entire year in 2019. The following are suspects charged in "Operation 24/7."