🚨 Man charged with ramming goose in Hoboken park

🚨 The goose was hit by an e-bike

🚨 NJ has a love/hate relationship with geese and seagulls


HOBOKEN — A city man is charged with animal cruelty after police say he rammed a goose with his e-bike.

The incident happened on Sept. 11 at Pier A Park along the waterfront.

According to officers, 30-year-old Andrew Mullin was riding the e-bike in the park when he deliberately rammed it into the goose.

In addition to the cruelty charge, Mullin received a summons for riding his bike on a pedestrians-only path.

Simple animal cruelty is considered a disorderly persons offense. Charges can be upgraded depending on the nature of the offender's conduct and the severity of the injury to the animal.

Google Street view/Townsquare Media illustration
Google Street view/Townsquare Media illustration
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Police did not release information about the injuries to the goose.

Goose controversy

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection estimates nearly 64,000 Canada geese permanently living in New Jersey. That does not include the number of migratory geese who stop in New Jersey as they fly south for winter and back north in the spring.

Many towns have tried varying methods to control the population out of concern for the birds' aggressive behavior and toxic droppings.

From chasing them away with dogs to destroying eggs, the population of Canada geese have continued to grow.

ARCHIVE - Liberty Park in Peapack-Gladstone NJ (Google maps)
ARCHIVE - Liberty Park in Peapack-Gladstone NJ (Google maps)
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Peapack-Gladstone officials started a controversy when they announced they would be rounding up the geese and killing them with carbon dioxide.

The plan to kill geese and the method, while sanctioned by the USDA, has been criticized by animal activists as being cruel and inhumane.

In a joint statement, elected officials in the Somerset County community said the goose population at a local park was an “infestation” that has worn on residents for 20 years.

Geese and Seagulls

There have been several recent high-profile incidents involving New Jersey residents and waterfowl, especially seagulls.

Police in Stafford are still looking for whoever drove their vehicles into a flock of seagulls at the local Costco.

Investigators say there have been two separate incidents and have been hoping a member of the public will have information about who did it.

In North Wildwood, a Cape May man was arrested for killing a seagull after he said it tried to take a French fry from his young daughter on July 6.

NJ man animal cruelty charge, accusation beheading seagull (Franklin Zeigler via Facebook Franklin Clair Zeigler III, Moreys Piers via Google Maps, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
NJ man animal cruelty charge, accusation beheading seagull (Franklin Zeigler via Facebook Franklin Clair Zeigler III, Moreys Piers via Google Maps, Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
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North Wildwood police charged 29-year-old Franklin Zeigler with third-degree animal cruelty after they said he tore the bird's head off.

A third-degree animal cruelty charge carries a prison term of up to five years if convicted.

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