SeaQuest Owes Woodbridge Center Mall $381K In Unpaid Rent, Mall Says

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — SeaQuest aquarium inside Woodbridge Center Mall owes the mall $381,000 in unpaid rent.

This is according to SeaQuest's bankruptcy filing, which is publicly available. SeaQuest filed for bankruptcy Dec. 2.

And it's not just Woodbridge. There are a total of 10 SeaQuest locations across the country, and several of their landlords said the please-touch aquarium owes them millions in unpaid rent:

• SeaQuest Trumbull, Connecticut: The Trumbull shopping center says SeaQuest owes them $2 million in unpaid rent. Also, the town of Trumbull tax collector says SeaQuest owes them $127,000 in disputed taxes
• SeaQuest Las Vegas: Mall management office says they are owed $545,000 in unpaid rent
• SeaQuest Fort Worth: Says they are owed $529,000 in unpaid rent
• SeaQuest Woodbridge, NJ: The mall says it is owed $381,000 in unpaid rent
• SeaQuest Littleton, Colorado: Brookfield Properties there says they are owed $160,000 in unpaid rent
• SeaQuest Roseville, California
• SeaQuest Folsom, California
• SeaQuest Massapequa on Long Island
• SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium Utah
• SeaQuest Fort Lauderdale

Most of these malls and shopping centers filed claims against SeaQuest in U.S. bankruptcy court.

While it does not appear a SeaQuest was open in the Chicago area, the Layton Hills Mall in Carol Stream, IL says SeaQuest owes them $189,000 in unpaid rent, and the Rosedale Shopping Center in Chicago, IL filed a claim saying the are owed $459,000 in unpaid rent.

According to their bankruptcy filing, SeaQuest reported less than $1 million in assets and said it was more than $10 million in debt.

SeaQuest has rented space on the ground floor of Woodbridge Center since 2019. Also, BOWCO Laboratories pest control company on Freeman Street in Woodbridge said SeaQuest owes them money.

Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration filed a claim, saying SeaQuest owes them $3.9 million, so SeaQuest may have taken out a small-business loan, possibly during the pandemic. And multiple banks and leading companies say SeaQuest owes them more than one million for various life policies Seaquest took out for certain employees.

Earlier this year, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection put the Woodbridge Center SeaQuest on an indefinite probation. The state did this after more than 100 animals died at the Woodbridge SeaQuest in the past five years. In August, NJ Fish & Wildlife warned that if the Woodbridge SeaQuest violated any terms of their probation, they would lose their operating license and be permanently shut down.

Earlier this month: SeaQuest Files For Bankruptcy; Fate Of Woodbridge Location Unknown (Dec. 4)

State Puts Woodbridge SeaQuest On Probation After Nearly 100 Animals Died There (July 2024)

Flying Squirrel Crushed In Door At Woodbridge Center Mall SeaQuest (2022)