It was a uniquely daring mission: One patrol sergeant. One bat. One bedroom.
That was what a sergeant in New Jersey's Clinton Township was up against last weekend when he was called to a home by a 61-year-old resident who asked for help getting a bat out of one of her bedrooms.
It's not clear how the animal got in, but the sergeant, who is a hunter and outdoorsman, responded in full force -- with what looked like a wicker basket.
Video posted by the department on Facebook shows the sergeant deftly creeping over toward the window shade, which is closed. A small black object -- the bat, in this case -- is clinging to the sill below the shade as the officer stealthily shifts over.
He's got a flashlight in one hand and the basket in the other. Eventually, he manages to pin the bat inside the basket, using the wall to close off the open end. He then grabs a blanket from a bed to cover the basket and pull it from the wall.
Ultimately, he secures the bat inside the basket, tucked underneath a pink blanket and heads out of the bedroom, mission accomplished. Both made it out safely.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
"All set, one in custody," the police department joked on Facebook as if it were communicating via radio. Then dispatch responded, "10-4, one bat in custody."
Local
No injuries were reported.