Are coyotes popping up deeper and deeper in New York City just to show what they're capable of? Maybe. No real way to prove they're not.

But they're definitely here. The latest canis invasion landed Tuesday on the fair shores of a park in Chelsea—a neighborhood I'll be avoiding from here on out—when a 'yote was spotted skulking around like a common criminal.

And frankly, the sighting sounds terrifying. One minute you're safe in the notion that New York City can't sustain animal life larger than a cat and the next minute a coyote is on its way to steal your baby, or even your man:

Richard Pichardo says he was on his way his way to work when he noticed a commotion along 9th Avenue near 28th Street.

"When I first got here, I was curious just like everybody else, and I asked what was it," he said. "When they told me a coyote, I figured it was just a small one."

But when he pulled out his cell phone to capture the chase, the animal he saw was anything but small.

"When I caught a good video and I seen the size of him, was large, 60 maybe 70 pounds," he said. "And if he was standing up, he would be taller than me."

Cops were finally able to hit the deceptively soft-looking danger dog with a sedative dart but his practice run was an apparent success. I only pray the coyote invasion ends before they hit the Village.

[h/t, appropriately enough, ANIMAL. Image via Shutterstock]

Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.