NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP — An alligator was found Sunday night abandoned ioutdoors in the freezing cold.

A Bangs Avenue resident found the 3-foot juvenile alligator inside the tub left in a lot next to his house, Monmouth County SPCA Executive Director Ross Licitra said.

Monmouth County SPCA Animal Control went to the lot and brought the gator back to the Eatontown shelter where it was put in a clean tank.

The alligator will be transferred to the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Licitra said it's only the third alligator brought into the MCSPCA since he started working there in 2015. The most recent was an alligator found in a Rumson basement in 2019 where it was being kept as a pet.

Alligator found in a large container in Neptune Township
Alligator found in a large container in Neptune Township (Monmouth County SPCA)
loading...

Ready for any kind of animal

Despite usually dealing with cats, dogs and birds, Licitra said they can handle an exotic animal like an alligator.

"The Monmouth County SPCA has licensed animal control officers that are able to deal with this animal but only for very short time and on a limited basis until the experts from Division of Fish and Wildlife can step in," he said.

Licitra said it is illegal to keep alligators or caimans because they are considered potentially dangerous exotic species. Whoever abandoned the alligator could face animal cruelty charges.

"If we do find if this was abandoned we would absolutely file animal cruelty charges against a person because that's where the SPCA would step in," Licitra said. "Leaving an alligator or caiman in freezing weather abandoned outside a house is absolutely animal cruelty and the SPCA would charge."

Licitra asked anyone with information about the owner of the alligator to call MCSPCA Humane Law Enforcement Chief Mike Goldfarb at 732-440-1539.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?

Below, find out where 25 of the most infamous crimes in history took place — and what the locations are used for today. (If they've been left standing.)

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

Don't say it: 6 words & phrases that should be banned in NJ

Some very Jersey things that shouldn't be.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM