A fitness influencer accused of abusing one of his dogs at a home in Glastonbury has been arrested after a video surfaced on social media.
Michael Gerchy, 47, of Lancaster, Virginia turned himself in at the Glastonbury Police Department on Friday where police held two active warrants for his arrest, including one charging him with cruelty to animals, according to Lt. Kevin Szydlo.
Szydlo said Gerchy’s arrest stemmed from a video that went viral on social media, which police learned about on March 12.
In the video, which appears to be taken from a home surveillance system, Gerchy can be seen forcefully kicking a dog twice before picking it up and throwing it onto a piece of furniture. He then tries to kick the dog again as it tries to get away, the video shows.
Partially out of view of the camera, Gerchy then appears to be restraining the animal while he repeatedly asks “What is your (expletive) problem?” He then picks the dog up and throws it onto the floor before it goes upstairs and the video ends.
In a subsequent video posted to his Instagram account, which Gerchy primarily uses to post fitness videos, he alleged that he was set up by his ex-girlfriend, claiming she edited the video to omit that the one dog had attacked the other, nearly leading to his ex’s daughter being bit. He also claimed that the dog, named Stitch, had a history of attacking the other animal, named Thor, and causing serious injuries, resulting in thousands of dollars in vet bills.
Gerchy also posted a video showing what appeared to be the two animals getting into a scuffle before he intervened.
According to Szydlo, police worked “expeditiously” with prosecutors to obtain a warrant for Gerchy’s arrest the same day they learned of the video “given the seriousness of the incident.” The warrant was extraditable from anywhere in the country.
“The Glastonbury Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the prosecutors and court staff for their prompt assistance and collaboration in this matter,” Szydlo said in a statement.
Police learned that Gerchy was no longer living in Connecticut and coordinated with law enforcement and animal control officers in another state to locate him and check on the wellbeing of his two dogs, Szydlo said.
“The dogs remain out of state and outside the jurisdiction of the Glastonbury Police Department,” Szydlo said Friday.
Gerchy, who was also charged with violation of a protective order, was held on a $250,000 bond and was expected to be arraigned in Manchester Superior Court.
Volunteers from Desmond’s Army Animal Law Advocates were expected to have a presence at the hearing.
“This arrest is a direct result of the animal advocates who discovered the video, and the public who shared it and expressed their outrage,” Desmond’s Army president and co-founder Zilla Cannamela said in a statement posted to Facebook. “This case highlights the power of true animal advocacy and it once again points to the link between animal abuse and domestic violence. We thank the Glastonbury Police Department for taking swift action and we will be making sure Stich and Thor remain safe and get the justice they deserve.”
According to court records, Gerchy has three other cases pending stemming from arrests in November and December 2025. In those cases, Glastonbury police have charged with him with risk of injury to a minor, disorderly conduct, third-degree assault, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, improper storage of a pistol or revolver in a motor vehicle and violation of a protective order, court records show.
The attorney representing Gerchy did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to Szydlo, the “worldwide” attention the video garnered led to numerous calls and emails that overwhelmed dispatchers and police. Szydlo also said false information circulated online suggesting that the man in the video was a Glastonbury police officer.
“This information was incorrect,” Szydlo said. “No Glastonbury police employee was involved in this incident, and Gerchy is not, nor has ever been, a Glastonbury police officer.”
“The Glastonbury Police Department thanks members of the public who shared information related to this incident,” Szydlo said. “We take crimes against animals seriously and are committed to investigating them thoroughly and promptly.”
