New Jersey

NJ Man Charged With Animal Cruelty After Emaciated Dog Found Dead in Plastic Bag

An investigation determined that 19-year-old Aiden Turso had three pets that suffered severe neglect, with two of them ultimately dying.

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NBC News

What to Know

  • A 19-year-old New Jersey man is facing multiple animal cruelty charges after authorities say three pets suffered severe neglect while in his care, including a a severely emaciated dog found dead inside a plastic bag, according to authorities.
  • Aiden Turso, of Scotch Plains, was charged with two counts of third-degree failure to provide necessary care to an animal, leading to its death; two counts of fourth-degree animal cruelty offenses; and fourth-degree hindering apprehension.
  • Convictions on third-degree crimes can be punishable by 3 to 5 years in state prison. Attorney information for Turso was not immediately known.

A 19-year-old New Jersey man is facing multiple animal cruelty charges after authorities say three pets suffered severe neglect while in his care, including a severely emaciated dog found dead inside a plastic bag, according to authorities.

Aiden Turso, of Scotch Plains, was charged with two counts of third-degree failure to provide necessary care to an animal, leading to its death; two counts of fourth-degree animal cruelty offenses; and fourth-degree hindering apprehension, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, Plainfield Police Department Director Lisa Burgess, and Scotch Plains Police Department Chief Ted Conley jointly announced Tuesday.

Convictions on third-degree crimes can be punishable by 3 to 5 years in state prison. Attorney information for Turso was not immediately known.

On Nov. 3, 2020, members of the Plainfield Police Department responded to the area of Rock Avenue on a report of a suspicious item dumped on the side of the road and found the deceased body of a severely emaciated pitbull inside a plastic bag, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Cronin.

An investigation led by Plainfield Police Department Sgt. Candace Grant and Scotch Plains Police Department Det.Theodore Florio, assisted by Tyler Smith of the Plainfield Area Humane Society, determined that Turso had three pets that suffered severe neglect – the deceased pitbull, named Cinnamon; a second dog, Jax, which was surrendered to the Humane Society in emaciated condition later in November; and a cat, Buddy, which was euthanized the following month after being taken to a local veterinarian in a comatose state, also emaciated and covered in fleas.

Turso was served the criminal charges against him via summons earlier this month. His initial court appearance scheduled for Friday.

“We hope these charges send a clear message to anyone who needs to hear it – this sort of conduct isn’t just wrong, it’s criminal,” Ruotolo said.

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