Women Charged In Brick Animal Hoarding Due In Court

BRICK, NJ — Two women charged in the hoarding of 180 dogs and cats in a Brick Township home in December are scheduled to be in court Tuesday for a court hearing.

Aimee J. Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, are scheduled for what's referred to as a status update in their case at 1:30 p.m. in Superior Court in Ocean County.

The two are charged with animal cruelty and child endangerment after 180 dogs and cats were found in cages crusted with feces, standing in their own feces and urine, in conditions so uninhabitable that the home on Arrowhead Park Drive has been condemned by Brick Township code enforcement.

The child endangerment charge stems from Lonczak's 16-year-old daughter living with them in the filth, authorities said.

The hearing is a standard step in the criminal justice process.

Lonczak and Nycz were released Dec. 8 following a detention hearing before Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels, who set several conditions of their release, including weekly check-ins with the court, no contact with Lonczak's daughter and no interaction with animals.

They are not permitted to return to the house — which has been condemned by Brick Township code enforcement — and both women were ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluations. The home belongs to Nycz. Read more: Women Released To Await Trial In Brick Animal Hoarding Case

Lonczak is charged with one count of fourth-degree animal cruelty and one count of second-degree child endangerment, while Nycz is charged with one count of third-degree animal cruelty and one count of second-degree child endangerment.

Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Becker said at the detention hearing that additional charges are pending.

The animals seized from the home, meanwhile, have begun to find new homes, and, in some cases have been reunited with owners.

Full coverage:

• Brick Animal Hoarding Case: Questions And Answers
• 180 Dogs, Cats Removed From Brick Home, 2 Arrested: Police
• Dogs, Cats From Brick 'Puppy Mill' Under Ocean County's Care
• How Rescue Founder Hid Brick Animal Hoarding: Fosters, Adopters Speak
• 'Desperate Need': Manahawkin Animal Shelter Asks For Coats, Cash
• 'Nightmare': Popcorn Park Officer Shares Hoarder House Experience
• Hundreds Of Pets In Need Following Brick Hoarder Rescue: How To Help
• Women Released To Await Trial In Brick Animal Hoarding Case
• Animals From Brick Hoarding Turned Over To Ocean County
• Missing-Pet Pleas Pour In To Police In Brick Hoarding Case
• Collie Taken By Brick Hoarders Reunited With Family
• Bloodhound Found In Brick Hoarding Case Reunited With Tennessee Family

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