Did New York Just Murder This Raccoon Too?

Picture this: You’re at LaGuardia, about to board your no-frills Spirit Airlines flight when—bam! A raccoon comes busting through a ceiling tile, dangling from a cord, then dropping to the floor like a furry skydiver.

Cue the shrieking travelers, blaring alarms, and one brave soul with a clear trash can trying (unsuccessfully) to wrangle the little bandit.

In short, classic LaGuardia chaos meets the typical Spirit Airlines flair.

The whole scene was caught on video by traveler Ahmad Anonimis, who posted it to X with a “dead a--” caption and plenty of skull emojis for the absurdity factor.

DOUBLE STANDARD MUCH!?!?

Meanwhile, over in Pine City..

Fred the raccoon wasn’t so lucky. Fred was rescued and living his best life with caretaker Mark Longo when New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation showed up, seized him, and, citing “rabies concerns,” promptly euthanized him.  

No video, no drama—just the end of the line for a friendly raccoon who, by all accounts, wasn’t hurting anyone.

Side Note.. How is the best way to test for rabies by killing the animal!?

And here’s where the irony hits: This LaGuardia raccoon, causing total bedlam at the terminal (and, let's be honest, making Spirit look even sketchier), gets a free pass back into the great outdoors.

But Fred? Our state decided he was too “dangerous” to keep around.

Only in New York would a raccoon crashing a Spirit gate get better treatment than a peaceful rescue. Maybe New York officials should rethink which raccoon deserved that “one-way ticket.”