Hudson Valley Resident, Voice of McGruff the Crime Dog, Dies

The Hudson Valley man behind the voice of McGruff the Crime Dog is dead at the age of 94.

Long time Hudson Valley resident, John "Jack" Keil was the mastermind behind the advertising campaign from the 80s that encouraged kids to "take a bite out of crime."

Keil was an advertising executive that helped create the famed canine mascot for the National Crime Prevention Council. His gravely voice wound up being the perfect match for the trench-coat wearing McGruff, so Keil was eventually used on all of the McGruff public service commercials that flooded airwaves through the 80s and 90s.

During that time, Keil lived right here in the Hudson Valley. According to The Daily News, he and his wife had a home in Rockland County where they resided for almost 60 years. They eventually moved to Vermont about ten years ago.

Do you remember those McGruff The Crime Dog commercials from your youth?