New Jersey and surrounding areas have been plagued by the dreaded spotted lanternfly. It's an invasive species from East Asia that can do great damage to trees.

It was first spotted in our region in Pennsylvania in 2014. They were confirmed to be in New Jersey three years ago in 2018.

As recent as September 13, counties in this state were under a spotted lanternfly quarantine with rules about movement of people and items across county lines.

It's that invasive and that serious of a threat to the state and our horticulture.

Their ability to lay massive amounts of eggs and reproduce is frightening.

With cooler weather and impending frosts soon on the way, some of the concern has subsided, until this past weekend. Some species can adapt to their environment and even adopt new characteristics over time.

This mutation seems to have happened much quicker and much more drastically than previous examples of a species metamorphosis.

Whether someone was camping out and was accidentally or deliberately co-mingled with a spotted lanternfly or someone wasn't wearing the recommended mask in a restricted area, something unusual happened. Check out these exclusive photos of what seems to be a humanoid version of this creature just outside our studios.

Thanks to our station intern, Gianna we were able to capture these images. Someone must have left the door open for too long and before you knew, the creature was inside probably looking to munch on the wooden tables in our lunchroom. Fortunately, government and health officials have not come out with any guidance on how to move forward.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.

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