'Ginormous' Snapping Turtle Rescued From Storm Drain In Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — First responders have to be ready for anything, including a turtle. That day came last week for Gloucester Township's emergency personnel.

Officials were recently dispatched to Cross Keys Road for a "ginormous" snapping turtle stuck in a storm drain, police said. Ptl. Jim Bartleson and the Lambs Terrace Fire Company dislodged the snapper head and set the turtle free in a nearby pond, where it lives.

"Everyone completed the task with all of their fingers intact!" Gloucester Township police wrote on social media.

Snapping turtles can be found throughout the Garden State, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Active April through November, the Common Snapping Turtle is the largest non-sea turtle in the state. They're usually found swimming, lurking under vegetation underwater or buried in the mud in shallow water.