A white woman has been fired after calling the police and claiming a black man, who asked her to leash her dog, was threatening her life.
A video filmed by Christain Cooper shows Amy Cooper with her dog off-leash in a bird-watching section of Central Park.
According to Christian her dog was "tearing up plants" so he asked her to leash it.
She becomes agitated and tells him she's going to call the police.
"Please call the cops," Christian responds.
The woman then tells him "I'm going to tell them there's an African American man threatening my life".
She then calls police and says she is being threatened, sounding shrill and panicked despite Christian being nowhere near her.
The video caused waves on social media with hundreds of people condemning her for being racist.
She has since been fired from her job at prominent global investment firm Franklin Templeton, with the company saying it didn't "tolerate racism of any kind".
Her dog has also been surrendered - possibly because she can be seen roughly yanking it upwards by the collar throughout the video.
Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc. posted on Facebook saying the dog was "voluntarily surrendered" while the incident is investigated.
"The dog is now in our rescue's care and he is safe and in good health."
The video became global news with celebrities and politicians weighing in on the implications of Amy Cooper's actions.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio weighed in, saying the clip exemplified racial tensions in the US
"She called the police BECAUSE he was a black man. Even though she was the one breaking the rules. She decided he was the criminal and we know why."
Amy Cooper has apologised and told CNN she is not a racist.
"I think I was just scared. When you're alone in [Central Park] you don't know what's happening, it's not excusable, it's not defensible."
