Runaway cow ties up traffic on I-295

Police turned into cattle handlers as they tried to get a runaway cow off Interstate 295 in Hamilton.

Police attempt to capture a cow in Interstate 295 in Hamilton (6 ABC)

The brown bovine was first spotted in back of the George E. Wilson Elementary School off Route 206, according to NJ.com, before winding up in the median of I-295 just north of the Interstate 195 interchange. Nearly a dozen State Police cruisers were positioned to protect it

As animal control officers tried to capture the cow, the cow made a run for it along the shoulder and then back onto the highway south towards I-195 before finally being caught. 6 ABC reports the cow was then tied to a guard rail as officers struggled to load her onto a trailer.

New Jersey Fast Traffic's Jill Myra said traffic nearly came to a halt as drivers slowed to watch the cow.

NJ.com reports the cow escaped while being taken from a trailer at the Trenton Halal Packing Company on Roebling Avenue and made its way to Lalor Street and into Hamilton. The cow died, according to the Trentonian, after being shot with a tranquilizer while being loaded up by State Police on the I-195 exit ramp from I-295.