The “good Samaritan” who discovered a juvenile alligator in a plastic tub on Sunday night was part of an elaborate hoax to assist a buddy dispose of the reptile.
Ross Licitra, the executive director of Monmouth County, stated that after Savion Mendez of East Orange was evicted from his apartment, he and his three-foot alligator relocated to a friend’s residence in the Twinbrook Apartment Complex in Ocean Township.
Mendez soon faced a second eviction and contacted his buddy Angel Rosario, who agreed to house the alligator in his home in Neptune Township, according to Licitra.
However, Rosario’s parents stated that the alligator could not reside in their Bangs Avenue residence.
Mendez, Rosario, and his parents then notified Neptune Township police that the alligator was discovered outside in a vacant lot adjacent to Rosarios’ residence, causing the MCSPCA to transport the alligator to its Eatontown shelter.
Alligator was never in danger
Mendez kept the juvenile alligator he purchased at a Pennsylvania reptile expo in a 150-gallon tank.
The alligator was never left outside in the cold or in danger, according to Licitra.
Professional law enforcement personnel from the MCSPCA were responsible for solving the crime.
“I am quite impressed with our SPCA cops. They pursue leads and track down these things like hound dogs “Licitra stated. “The SPCA takes these matters seriously. We pursue these things until every possible route has been exhausted.”
The New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife has charged Mendez with a violation for illegally possessing a dangerous foreign species. Rosario and his parents are charged with filing a false police report.
The alligator was relocated to the zoo in Cape May.
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