Pit bull found locked in cage in New Jersey waters

NEW JERSEY (FOX5NY) - Investigators are trying to find the person who put a young pit bull inside of a cage at the New Jersey shore as the tide was coming in.

A Highlands resident was walking their dog in Veterans Memorial Park on Bay Ave on Monday morning when their dog was alerted by something on the water side of the rock bulkhead.

They discovered a black wire cage floating near the rocks in the water at around 6:15 a.m., the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said. The person climbed down to grab the cage and called Highlands police about what they had seen.

Authorities say the dog could have drowned if the "heroic" person had not grabbed the animal. When animal control arrived the cage was almost covered by tidewaters.  They said that due to the tide schedule, they estimated that the dog was placed there between 4:00 am and 6:00 am on Monday. 

The dog was described as a male gray and white pit bull, about 1 year old. 

Anyone who has any information on who owns this dog or may have witnessed anything was asked to call the MCPO Animal Cruelty Hot Line 877-898-7297 or notify the Highlands Police Dept. at (732) 872-1224.