LEBANON BOROUGH, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person accused of abandoning a dog along Main Street in Lebanon Borough earlier this year.
New Jersey State Police said troopers from the Perryville Station responded March 24 after receiving reports of an abandoned dog.
Animal control officers also responded and took custody of the dog, which was later transferred to a shelter and has since been adopted, authorities said.
According to investigators, surveillance footage captured a black four-door Nissan Altima, believed to be a 2007-2012 model, stopping along Main Street near a fire hydrant.
Police said a woman wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and black pants exited the vehicle holding a black pit bull or pit bull mix on a leash. The woman then walked behind the vehicle and briefly out of camera view before returning without the dog, reentering the car and leaving the area.
Authorities said the vehicle appeared to have New Jersey license plates on both the front and rear.
“Dogs depend on their guardians to keep them safe, but this woman abandoned this poor dog, leaving her confused, in danger of being hit by car, and with no one to look after her,” said PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA urges anyone with information to come forward so that this person can be held accountable before anyone else is put in harm’s way.”
State police and PETA are asking anyone with information about the incident, the dog or the vehicle involved to contact Troop B’s Perryville Station at 908-730-7042. Anonymous tips are being accepted.
