P’Nut wants payback.
The beloved pet squirrel and his raccoon sidekick, Fred, were not euthanized – they were viciously executed by New York authorities, according to a blistering new lawsuit.
On Oct. 30, a swarm of cops and agents from the state Environmental Conservation and Health departments descended on Mark Longo’s upstate Pine City animal sanctuary.
The two animals were living peacefully inside Longo’s home, but it is illegal to keep squirrels and raccoons as pets in New York, where they’re classified as wild animals.
During the raid, DEC officials claimed, P’Nut bit one of its agents through thick leather gloves, which required the state to euthanize and decapitate the animals in order to test their brain tissue for rabies.
Later, the state admitted the rabies tests were both negative – but it has never apologized nor returned the bodies of either pet.
The episode, which occurred just before the presidential election, was decried by outraged animal lovers and conservatives alike as a vicious example of governmental overreach.
Longo and his wife, Daniela Bittner, doubled down in a 40-page lawsuit filed Friday in Chemung County Supreme Court.
P’Nut and Fred were slaughtered “not due to a fear of rabies” – but as a “senseless act of violence” and “obscene demonstration of government abuse,” the documents charge.
The suit alleges the bite never happened – and if it did, the agent should have been vaccinated against the disease, and trained in the safe handling of animals.
“The fact that none of these factors came into play demonstrates one of two things – that there was in fact no bite, and this story was fabricated, or, if there was a bite, that it was due strictly to the defendants’ own incompetence,” the court filing states.
Longo and Bittner said their demands for the animals’ remains have been ignored, and that their killings exceeded the scope of the search warrant executed that day.
The couple has suffered emotional trauma and financial losses since losing their star squirrel, who had become an Internet celebrity, appearing in social media posts, OnlyFans content, Cameos and other monetized media, according to the lawsuit.
The suit names defendants spanning every level of local and state government, including state DEC agents Erick Dalecki, Richard McNamara, Matthew Baker, Steven Farrand, John Lifrieri and Joshua Crain — who executed the search warrant — along with 20 unidentified DEC investigators.
Also named are Chemung County, its sheriff’s office and health department, plus 10 unnamed county officials. The City of Elmira, its police department and Elmira Animal Control are also listed, alongside 10 additional unidentified city agents.
The suit seeks unspecified damages to be determined by a jury trial.
“This is our opportunity to make change and seek justice for P’Nut and Fred,” Longo told The Post.
“I hope justice is done, not just for my clients, but for our civil rights, P’Nut and Fred, and all animals,” said his lawyer, Nora Constance Marino.
The state DEC does not comment on any potential or pending litigation, said spokesperson Cecilia Walsh.
