Surveillance video from a nearby garage shows a black Ford F-150 that police want to identify, and residents near several streets are asked to check home cameras.
MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA, MA - October 28, 2026
Carley Cook said her 6-year-old rescue dog, Ajax, was struck and killed by a pickup truck late Tuesday night while the two were walking near her home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Cook said the driver got out of the truck but offered no help before driving away. Police are seeking the driver.
Key Facts
- Date: Late Tuesday night; first reported October 28, 2026
- Location: Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, near the dog owner's home
- Type of crash: Hit-and-run involving a dog
- Vehicles involved: Pickup truck; video from a nearby garage shows a black, four-door Ford F-150 whose cargo bed is uncovered
- Injuries / fatalities: One dog killed; the reports do not describe injuries to people
- Responding agencies: Police
- Reported by: NBC Boston; CBS News (CBS Boston)
Crash Overview
Carley Cook was walking Ajax, a 6-year-old mixed-breed rescue dog, near her home late on Tuesday night. Cook said the two normally walked at that hour and that Ajax was often off leash. She said she always carries a leash, that Ajax stayed close by, and that he wore a light on his collar. Cook said the spot was about 200 yards from her house. According to the reporting, local rules permit dogs to go unleashed while they remain close enough to hear their owner's commands, and that seemed to describe this situation.
Cook told WBZ-TV that a pickup truck approached them at what she described as a very high speed. She said she yelled and waved for the driver to slow down, but Ajax was struck. Cook said the dog ran a short distance away, that she ran to him and picked him up, and that she asked the driver for help. She said the man got out of the truck but did not assist, then drove off. Cook said the event happened too quickly for her to get the license plate number. She carried Ajax home and took him to an emergency veterinarian, where he was pronounced dead.