Crime & Safety

Dog Left in Hot Car Ignites Conversation Among Manalapan Residents

Manalapan Police did not file a summons against the woman as the dog was not in distress.

Manalapan police were called to the Towne Point Shopping Plaza on Saturday for a report that a dog was left in a parked car. 

An officer responded to the scene immediately and located the dog’s owner within ten minutes by canvassing the stores in the area, Capt. Michael Fountain said. Fountain said that the officer who responded to the scene did not find the dog in distress. The car was parked underneath a tree in the shade and the windows were open, according to Fountain. 

The dog’s owner told the officer that she ran into a jewelry store briefly and the car was parked within ten spots of the store’s front, the captain said. The police officer did not issue the woman a summons and did not contact animal control. While the exact temperature at the time of the incident was not known by Fountain, the high temperature reached into the nineties on Saturday. 

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Manalapan resident Sue Bertola-Wolf posted on the Manalapan Residents Facebook Page about the woman who left her dog in the car, alerting community members to the action and her opposing feelings about it. The post issued nearly 150 comments, most of which were negative toward the owner of the dog and the police officer for not issuing a ticket.

In response to this incident, Mayor Susan Cohen issued a mass e-mail about pet safety on Monday. Cohen’s statement said: "In light of an incident that occurred this past weekend, please be advised of the danger posed by leaving a pet in the car unattended for any length of time during warm weather months. It is unacceptable and can cause heatstroke or even death of a pet. The inside of a car can reach temperatures far beyond the temperature outside of the car. Cracking your windows is NOT a safe alternative. If your pet cannot accompany you on your errand, then the pet should be left home. For more information regarding pet safety please visit: http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?title=Your_Car_is_an_Oven

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Nevertheless, the Manalapan police officer said that dog was not in any distress. “Based on the facts and circumstances the officer observed at the scene, like the majority of things we deal with, we use our discretionary powers to make decisions,” Fountain said. 

Cohen also responded in the shout stream on the Facebook page thanking the people who emailed her about the incident and explaining that the Township Committee has no power to enforce the law or to tell the police what to do. 

"It is up to the officer's discretion whether to issue a ticket or not," Cohen's Facebook comment said. "The officer assessed the situation and after speaking to the dog owner decided not to issue a summons."


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