Brick Couple Indicted After Dog Left On Balcony In July Heat Died

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Brick Township couple has been indicted on a charge of animal cruelty in the death of their dog, who was left on the balcony of their home for hours in the heat in July 2018, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.

Jonathon Correa, 30, and Kiara Martinez, 28, both of Brick, were indicted Tuesday on the animal cruelty count in the Sunday, July 1, 2018 death of Princess, a 13-month-old pit bull. Neighbors noticed Princess in distress and called Brick Township Police.

Police Officer John Scott was called to the couple's residence on Northrup Drive at 5:48 p.m. and found Princess locked in a cage on the balcony, unconscious and in severe distress, police said at the time.

Temperatures that day reached a high of 99 degrees, according to the Weather Underground website, with a heat index of 103 degrees. By 6 p.m. the temperature was still about 90 degrees.

Brick K9 officers Sgt. Paul Catalina and Officer Keith Prendeville arrived and quickly assessed the condition of Princess and tried to cool her with water. They they lowered her in her cage to the ground, wrapped her in a wet towel and Prendeville and Scott rushed her to Jersey Shore Veterinary Hospital on Route 70 in Lakewood.

Princess succumbed to complications of heat stroke two days later.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here.

Follow Brick Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com

Photos of Jonathan Correa and Kiara Martinez provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office