Head Of NJ’s Busiest Animal Shelters Charged With Cruelty: SPCA

NEWARK, NJ — The executive director of the largest animal shelter system in New Jersey is facing criminal animal cruelty charges for alleged “filthy” conditions at the Associated Humane Societies (AHS) Newark facility, officials say. The charges against Roseann Trezza, 70, of Matawan, come after years of troubling allegations from local animal rights activists and shelter volunteers in Newark.

Trezza has been at the helm of AHS for more than 40 years, according to the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA).

On Wednesday, Trezza was charged with eight criminal counts of animal cruelty and eight civil counts of animal cruelty for incidents at the Newark location. The allegations include “failing to provide necessary care to multiple animals,” with violations ranging from “filthy water bowls” to “commingling sick and healthy animals,” the NJSPCA stated.

The AHS maintains animal shelters in Newark, Forked River and Tinton Falls, and is paid to provide animal control officer and holding/impounding services to Belleville, Carteret, Clark, Fanwood, Hillside, Newark, Irvington, Linden, Fairfield, Plainfield, Roselle, Rahway and Winfield Park.

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The charges are the result of multiple inspections and joint efforts of the State Department of Health, Newark Department of Health and NJSPCA Humane Police. A court date of Dec. 7 has been scheduled, the NJSPCA stated.

“The NJSPCA Humane Police will continue to work with our partners to monitor the situation at the shelter to make sure conditions continue to improve,” authorities stated.

• See related article: Inspectors Find Grim Violations At Newark Animal Shelter

On Aug. 22, spurred by a complaint, state and city inspectors found a list of stomach-churning violations at the busy AHS Newark shelter that included:

• Animals allegedly being euthanized before the required seven-day waiting period expired
• Bags of animal carcasses left laying outside the building
• Sick animals with bloody urine, diarrhea, vomiting, Kennel Cough and nasal discharge
• Dogs and cats kept in cramped, dark enclosures without exercise
• A deteriorating, dirty building that posed health and safety risks

In an interview with Patch after the August inspection, an AHS spokesperson said that staff were trying their best to bring the facility up to code. However, as of Thursday, the AHS is working without a license in Newark after showing continued deficiencies during multiple follow-up inspections.

During the latest visit to the AHS Newark facility on Oct. 20, inspectors allegedly found:

• Incomplete and inaccessible animal intake records, including euthanasia records
• Aggressive dogs, bite-hold dogs, and court-hold dogs housed in the basement with inadequate ventilation and insufficient cage space
• Several cats and kittens with signs of a communicable disease in the overflow cat room
• Cats in carriers that contained an accumulation of dirt, debris and bodily wastes
• Food and water receptacles in the small dog and cat room were not being thoroughly cleaned
• Numerous animals throughout the facility left without water
• An excessive amount of medical waste that was being stored improperly at the facility

Inspectors also noted after their Oct. 20 visit that there were several animals displaying signs of communicable disease or illness that were not provided with basic veterinary care:

• “A red tabby cat located in the feral cat room had an accumulation of crusted material on its nose and there appeared to be small amounts of blood smeared on the cardboard carrier in its cage.”
• “A brown tabby cat in the feral cat room was unable to open its right eye fully and the nictitating membrane was covering the eye.”
• “A white Maltese, ID number 25862, had numerous sores and was missing hair on its back. This dog was seen aggressively chewing its back and appeared to be in distress with uncontrolled itching. This dog also had eye discharge in both eyes.”
• “A white poodle type dog in the small dog and cat room without an identification number had hot spots on its side and rear.”
• “A black pit bull type dog, ID number 25070, that was housed in the main kennel with the general population had a green mucopurulent discharge in both eyes.”
• “Cats and kittens that were said to have ringworm were being housed in the medical exam room and were not housed in a separate isolation room to prevent the dissemination of disease.”

However, inspectors said that several of the original violations from the Aug. 22 visit had been corrected. The following violations had been corrected, inspectors said:

• Bags of dead animal carcasses left outside the building
• Clogged gutters in the outside dog kennel area
• Leaky sinks throughout the facility
• An accumulation of hair, dried feces and vomit on the cat trees and sisal rope scratchers in the communal cat rooms
• Damaged and hazardous dog beds

A September petition to remove Trezza and “stop the killing” gathered more than 3,000 signatures on Change.org.

Another petition titled "Roseann Trezza needs to resign from the Newark Associated Humane Society" has gathered almost 3,000 signatures.

In late October, multiple volunteers and sources familiar with the shelter alleged that Trezza ordered volunteers to sign a gag order and refrain from posting about the shelter on social media if they wanted to continue to work with the dogs at Associated Humane Society in Newark.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Main Photo: NJ Department of Health (an allegedly improperly stored animal carcass outside the AHS Newark facility, August 2017)