Baby Seal Gets Helping Hand Crossing Route 35 From Brick Police

BRICK, NJ — A grey seal pup that decided to try to cross Route 35 on Monday got a helping hand to safety from Brick Township police.

The police department, in a post on its Facebook page, said the seal was found trying to cross the road Monday evening. Police officers stopped traffic to allow the animal to cross the highway, then kept a watch with volunteers while the Marine Mammal Stranding Center staff responded to pick up the pup.

Patch readers said a bystander, Jaclyn Lackey, had seen the seal pup in the road and alerted authorities.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said the grey seal pup is a female and was trying to cross in the area of Curtis Point Drive. Officials at the center said this is not the first time they have been called about a seal pup trying to cross Route 35 in that area, because the highway is close to both the ocean and Barnegat Bay.

"Thank you to all of the drivers who pulled over while the Brick Township Police Department and our volunteer kept this little seal safe until our Stranding Technician arrived," the center said in an update on its Facebook page.

The seal pup was taken to the center in Brigantine, where it was "resting after her little adventure," the center said. It said it would provide an update on her Tuesday.