Good Samaritan rescues caged dog from rising tide at Jersey Shore

Authorities are trying to find the person who left a young pit bull to drown in a cage at water's edge in a rising tide.

A police officer comforts a pit bill found in a cage next to a tidal waterway in a Jersey Shore town on Monday. (Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office image)

A police officer comforts a pit bill found in a cage next to a tidal waterway in a Jersey Shore town on Monday. (Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office image)

Authorities are trying to find the person who left a young pit bull to drown in a cage at water’s edge in a rising tide.

A person walking their dog in Veterans Memorial Park in Monmouth County’s Highlands spotted the small dog cowering in the cage on a portion of sand between a rock bulkhead and the water as the tide came in around 6:15 a.m. Monday.

The tide was rising and had reached the cage. The person rescued the animal by climbing over the wall.

An Animal Control officer who later responded to the scene said the cage was nearly covered by the high tide. Officials say the “heroic rescue act” saved the dog from potentially drowning.

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In a statement on Facebook, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office estimates the dog was placed between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., based on the tide schedule.

The gray and white pit bull was taken to the Highlands police station. Authorities say the dog is approximately a year old.

Anyone with any information about the dog’s owner or witnessed anything should call the prosecutor’s office Animal Cruelty Hotline at (877) 898-7297 or the Highlands Police Department at (732) 872-1224.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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