The two women whose Brick Township home was so contaminated with animal waste that a HAZMAT team was required to respond have pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty and child neglect in connection with the case.
Michele Nycz, 60, and Aimee Lonczak, 51, both entered their pleas before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan on Monday. According to a statement from prosecutors, the state will be seeking 364 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of probation as to each defendant, a lifetime ban on owning animals, a ban on working with animals, and community service not involving animals. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16.
Animal cruelty suspects Aimee Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, both of Brick. (Photo: Ocean County Jail)
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Brick police officers discovered a “horrible and inhumane” scene while investigating a report that a “puppy mill” was being operated in an Arrowhead Drive home, police said in Dec. 2022, when the scene was discovered. Ultimately, authorities would find about 180 animals in the home, including two dogs who were already deceased. It was later reported that the animals were not necessarily being bred, but instead were collected from rescues and kept in the home.
The child neglect charge stems from the fact that the 16-year-old daughter of one of the defendants was living on the premises of the contaminated property.
While speaking with the residents – Lonczak and Nycz – in the driveway of the residence after the initial call from a neighbor, responding officers could detect a strong odor coming from the residence, and heard barking. Officers were subsequently permitted to enter the residence and immediately detected an intense odor and unsanitary conditions. Additionally, the officers observed animal crates containing dogs and cats stacked on top of one another.
The home at 11 Arrowhead Park Drive, Brick Township, where 180 animals were being kept in a suspected ‘puppy mill’ operation, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The home at 11 Arrowhead Park Drive, Brick Township, where 180 animals were being kept in a suspected ‘puppy mill’ operation, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick, N.J., where about 180 animals were being held, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Due to the conditions existing in the home at that time, the officers were forced to exit the residence and requested that a HAZMAT team respond. Rescuers in HAZMAT equipment subsequently removed approximately 129 dogs and 43 cats located in the residence, and the bodies of two deceased dogs. Lonczak and Nycz – who resided at the residence with Lonczak’s 16 year-old child – were both taken into custody at the scene and transported to the Ocean County Jail. They were both subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
By the next morning, an acrid, urine-scented order wafted through the scene. Dog feces was spread over a driveway and cages were stacked several feet in the air throughout the backyard area. Police tape surrounded portions of the property and a condemnation notice was taped to the front door. A neighbor said they believed at least some of the animals were being kept in two SUVs that were parked in the driveway – one with no license plate attached.
The home at 11 Arrowhead Park Drive, Brick Township, where 180 animals were being kept in a suspected ‘puppy mill’ operation, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The home at 11 Arrowhead Park Drive, Brick Township, where 180 animals were being kept in a suspected ‘puppy mill’ operation, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The home at 11 Arrowhead Park Drive, Brick Township, where 180 animals were being kept in a suspected ‘puppy mill’ operation, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Arrowhead Park Drive home in Brick, N.J., where about 180 animals were being held, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Brick would later place a lien on the home for cleanup efforts.
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