Cape May Man Indicted for Killing Seagull in Wildwood

It's funny, I was just thinking about this incident over the 4th of July Weekend. Okay, it's not ha-ha funny... let's just call it coincidental.

Man Charged With Decapitating Seagull

A Cape May man accused of decapitating a seagull during the 4th of July holiday last summer in North Wildwood after it tried stealing French fries from his daughter has been indicted by a grand jury.

We love Curly Fries at Morey's Pier as much as the next person, but this guy's reason for decapitating a seagull seems more than a little excessive.

NJ.com reports that Franklin Ziegler, 30, was indicted last month and will be in North Wildwood court on Wednesday, July 16, to face third-degree animal cruelty charges.

A Police Investigation Leads to Animal Cruelty Charges

Ziegler approached the staff at Morey's Piers after the incident and asked for a trash bag while holding the dead seagull. Witnesses reported that Zeigler had “decapitated” a seagull with his bare hands.

North Wildwood Police received a call on July 6 about animal cruelty at Morey’s Piers’ Surfside Pier, at 25th Street and the boardwalk in North Wildwood.

The Police say Ziegler became angry and uncooperative with officers, leading to his arrest on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

After investigating, North Wildwood Police charged Franklin Zeigler with third-degree animal cruelty based on witness statements and photos they obtained.

The photos of the bird were used as evidence in the case, police said.