Teen, Pets Found Living Amid Feces In Toms River Home, Woman Charged: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River woman has been charged with child endangerment and animal cruelty after authorities found her, a teen and several animals living in extremely unsanitary conditions in a Toms River home, police said.

The 49-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday following an investigation that began with an anonymous tip on Feb. 5 through a state agency, Toms River Lt. Ron Sermarini said.

On Tuesday, authorities executed a search warrant at a home on Paul Drive as a result of the tip and found the woman living in the home with cats, dogs and a 16-year-old child, he said.

The house had a significant amount of feces on the floors and the utilities were shut off, but police were not able to confirm how long the utilities had been off.

Two cats and two dogs were seized, and Sermarini said it is believed there may be as many as three more cats on the premises but because of the conditions in the home they were unable to find the others and traps were set.

The conditions were so bad the animal control officer who responded had to put on a hazmat suit before going in, he said.

The home was deemed uninhabitable by Toms River Township code enforcement because of the unsanitary conditions, Sermarini said.

The woman was charged with endangering the welfare of a child because the teen was living in the unsanitary conditions, he said.