3 Children Briefly Go Missing In South Brunswick Chasing Runaway Dog

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - A runaway pet French bulldog briefly caused a South Brunswick mom to panic after her three children went missing Friday afternoon at the Southridge Woods townhouse complex. But, thanks to a quick response by South Brunswick police, all three children were quickly located.

At 4:30 p.m., the frantic mother called 911 and told South Brunswick police her three children — ages 9, 8, and 2 —were missing from her Southridge Woods townhouse. The mother said she was doing housework and the children were in a neighboring room. When she returned to the room, all three children were missing and she could not find them in her house.

Several officers headed to the home to search for the children. Officer Gagan Chopra was a block away from the home when he spotted the children running after a dog. Officer Chopra helped get the dog and children into his patrol car and drove them back to the residence.

The children told the officer that they all ran out of the house without telling their mom because they saw their little French bulldog run out of the house. They didn’t want the dog to run away so they ran after it an caught it nearby. All three children and the dog we reunited with their mother in under ten minutes.

“It is the everyday efforts of officers that make a difference. This mother was distraught and the officers fast response found the children in record time," said SB Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Photo of the Southridge townhouses provided by South Brunswick police