Arrest for Pigeon Poaching in Tompkins Square Park Leads to Arrest for Assault from 2021

In the early hours of April 30, the NYPD responded to an unusual 911 call: A man was reportedly seen netting pigeons inside Tompkins Square Park on Avenue A and East 8th Street. It was just before 7am when officers arrived at the scene and encountered 67-year-old Dwayne Daley, busy with what appeared to be a well-rehearsed operation.

Daley, who resides in Bushkill, Pa., was swiftly taken into custody. Officers said they confiscated three large black nets, a cage holding over 25 pigeons, and a vehicle with Pennsylvania plates registered in his name. When Officer Anjelica Matiz from the 9th Precinct approached him, Manhattan prosecutors said that Daley insisted, “I have a permit. I will show you, it is in my truck. I relocate and train the birds.” But a search of his vehicle revealed only more cages packed with pigeons. The birds were later released back into the park by police officers.

The arrest unearthed more than just a case of illegal bird trapping. Cops said Daley had been wanted since February 2021 in connection with a violent assault in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. According to police, the earlier incident occurred when a 59-year-old man confronted Daley after spotting him placing pigeons in a cage near Meeker Avenue and Union Avenue. The confrontation turned physical, cops said, when Daley allegedly punched the man in the face, knocking out two teeth, before fleeing the scene.

In a post-Miranda statement, prosecutors at the Manhattan DA’s office said Daley admitted to routinely capturing and trading birds: “I trade and sell birds all the time. They go for about four to eight dollars.” Reports suggest the pigeons are often sold to hunters who use them as live targets for shooting practice.

Prosecutors said that Daley “overdrove, overloaded, tortured, and cruelly beat and unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated, and killed an animal, and deprived an animal of necessary sustenance, food, and drink.”

This isn’t Daley’s first brush with the law over pigeon poaching. According to amNY, he was arrested in 2007 for a similar offense, though that case was eventually dismissed. But animal welfare advocates say the pattern is clear and troubling.

“I was happy to learn that longtime notorious pigeon poacher Dwayne Daley was arrested, thanks to compassionate New Yorkers who called 911 when they spotted him netting pigeons in Tompkins Square Park,” Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, an animal rights organization, told amNY.

Daley’s attorney, Amelie Austern, had not responded to requests for comment by press time.

The NYPD issued a reminder that capturing wild birds is illegal in New York City. Officials urge anyone who witnesses such activity to contact authorities immediately.