Employee discovers dog in New Jersey dumpster, officials say. 26-year-old arrested

An employee discovered a 2-year-old dog in an establishment’s dumpster, which led to an arrest, New Jersey officials said.

On Jan. 21, Township of Old Bridge officers responded to the Glenwood Maintenance Office after getting reports of a dog inside one of their dumpsters, according to a news release by the department of public safety.

Investigators believe, with the help of surveillance footage, the dog was left in the dumpster around 10 p.m. Jan. 20.

A 26-year-old suspect was identified and charged with animal neglect and animal abandonment, officials said.

Now, the Old Bridge Animal Shelter is caring for the dog, identified as a bichon frise breed named Scotty, according to a Jan. 22 Facebook post by the rescue.

Scotty is in good health, officials said.

He is not up for adoption as of Jan. 22, the shelter said.

Old Bridge is about a 40-mile drive northeast of Trenton.

This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Employee discovers dog in New Jersey dumpster, officials say. 26-year-old arrested."