Government

Brick Places Lien on Home That Housed 180 Animals, Building Now Boarded Up

by
Daniel Nee
January 25, 2023

The Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick, N.J., where about 180 animals were being held, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick Township has placed a lien on the home at 111 Arrowhead Park Drive for the portion of the cleanup effort expended by the township’s public works department after its inhabitants were charged with animal cruelty and child endangerment in December 2022.

The township council on Tuesday night, without fanfare, approved a lien in the amount of $1,801.54 for debris removal and cleaning. The municipal public works department was one of many agencies to respond to the home during the rescue of 129 dogs and 43 cats located in and around the ranch-style home. Ultimately, after police officers and animal control officials were overcome with an unbearable stench, a HAZMAT team from Berkeley Township was called to disinfect the scene. By the end of the day, Dec. 3, the home was declared uninhabitable.

The Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick, N.J., where about 180 animals were being held, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Its residents, Aimee Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, were charged with animal cruelty and child endangerment due to the fact that Lonczak’s 16-year-old daughter was residing in the decrepit conditions. Last week, prosecutors filed a motion to remand both suspects to the Ocean County Jail after they allegedly went to a county animal shelter to demand the return of the animals and violated a judge’s order to avoid contact with the teenager.

The Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick, N.J., where about 180 animals were being held, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

This week, the home remained empty, with building violation notices attached to the front door. The windows of the home have since been boarded up and a significant amount of animal feces that was present on the property had been removed. Still, some pet equipment remained, including kennels, cages and severely rotted dog toys. The roof appeared to be in poor condition, and the rear yard was cramped with makeshift animal pens.