By Eyewitness News via WABC
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BRICK TOWNSHIP, NJ (WABC) — After 180 animals were found living in unsanitary conditions in a New Jersey home over the weekend, authorities are calling it one of the worst cases of animal hoarding in living memory.
Since then, the story has touched so many hearts that donations have been pouring in.
Two women have been arrested after allegedly operating an illegal puppy mill on Arrowhead Park Drive in Brick. An anonymous tip led investigators to the house.
A putrid odor still lingered in the air Monday. The single-family home on the ranch was a house of horrors for the dozens of workers who had to clean it over the weekend.
Crews were called and had to wear hazmat protective gear to get into the house where the animals were locked in the cages.
135 dogs and 45 cats were found living in dirt with piled up feces.
Two dogs were found dead and some needed emergency veterinary care.
A few more animals have been taken to shelters in Ocean County since the home was searched over the weekend.
Aimee Loncesk, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, face multiple counts of animal cruelty and child endangerment because a 16-year-old lived in the home.
“We have never seen anything like these types of numbers, we were all overwhelmed by the number of animals coming into our facility, we have had a large number of cat hoarders in the past but nothing like this, we were all extremely shocked when we heard the number of animals that were in that house,” said Brian Lappai of the Ocean County Health Department.
The animals are not yet ready to be adopted because they are part of a criminal case.
Meanwhile, authorities are encouraging donations of dog and cat bedding and toys for the animals who finally get the care they deserve.
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