Police are investigating the apparent drowning of a 10-week old puppy in Jennings Pond on Bonter Road.
There are currently no suspects or leads in the case, investigators said.
According to police, the puppy’s corpse was found submerged in a metal carrying crate Wednesday.
Passaic County prosecutor’s Office Spokesman Seth Galkin said he could not provide any further details regarding the case at this time.
According to a post on Facebook by the Greenwood Lake Animal Hospital, Dr. Eric Louer, DVM, conducted a preliminary examination of the puppy before it was transferred to the New Jersey State Forensics Lab for a complete autopsy.
That post estimated the puppy’s age as around 10-weeks-old.
The post contained graphic photos of the puppy in the crate once it was retrieved from the water.
It also included a photo of a crystal vase with a $22 price sticker on it that may have been used to sink the crate, according to the post.
Another Facebook post from the Last Resort Rescue of Hewitt on Tuesday evening said that one of the officers of that organization discovered the crate in the pond.
“One of our rescue officers at The Last Resort Rescue noticed a crate at the edge of the pond on Bonter Road on the Oak Ridge side of town today with a puppy in it,” the post said. “The puppy was dead and ice cold, soaked inside the crate, lakebed vegetation hanging on the crate, with a crystal vase and wee wee pads stuck to the side of her head with a small amount of blood on them.”
The organization said on Facebook that it is offering a $3,500 reward for information on the case.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact West Milford Detective Eric Darnsteadt at (973) 728-2801.