Police tracked down and arrested the two men who snatched a German Shepherd from yard in Jersey City after one of the dognappers clumsily dropped his wallet on the property, cops said.

Jersey City police arrested Salvador Velez Jr., 40, of 18th Street in Union City, and Manuel R. Garcia, 71, of Johnston Avenue, and charged both with theft for stealing the dog, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

Authorities are still seeking the public's help in locating the 7-month-old dog, who answers to the name Aries, Morrill added.

The owners of the dog told police they left their pet in their Emerson Avenue yard earlier in the day, but when they returned home, they said the animal was missing.

However, they did find a black wallet on the property containing Velez's identification and a neighbor who witnessed the theft was able to positively identify one of the men as the man in the photo ID, Morrill said.

Velez, was arrested at around 10:30 p.m. after he attempted to retrieve his missing identification from police, while still wearing the same clothes the witness described, Morrill said.

Detectives later identified Garcia as the other individual who was with Velez. By the time officers arrived at Garcia's home on Johnston Avenue around midnight, he had already released the German Shepherd into the street, Morrill added.

Anyone who sees Aries is asked to contact the Animal Control office at 201-547-4888 or the police non-emergency number at 201-547-5477.

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Ron Zeitlinger | The Jersey Journal

Jersey City police are seeking the public's assistance in locating a dog that was stolen and then released in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, city officials said.

The dog is a 7-month-old German Shepherd who answers to the name Aries, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

Aries was taken from her front yard on Emerson Avenue Monday around noon and two men have been charged with stealing the dog, Morrill said. But one of the men released the dog in the area of Johnston and Pacific avenues prior to the arrests late last night.

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