Police Seek Driver Who Hit Flock Of Baby Geese On Route 1

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — We are going to warn you the video below is very disturbing. South Brunswick police say they are trying to track down this green Ford Expedition, which either accidentally or deliberately plowed into a flock of adult Canada geese and their babies Monday night on Rt. 1. Many of the goslings appeared to have died instantly.

The driver slowed down, but did not stop, a shocked eyewitness said, who captured the entire incident on video.

David Maeng, a 39-year-old Monmouth Junction resident, said he was driving on Rt. 1 Monday evening, June 4, near the New Road intersection in South Brunswick. The gaggle of adult geese with their babies waddled out onto the middle of Rt. 1, cautiously and taking their time, he said. The geese accidentally walked to the median of the road, but found they had to turn back when they hit the concrete barrier.

"Cars were going slow and trying to avoid hitting them, so I also turned on the hassle (emergency) lights and was pulling over to the shoulder," Maeng told Patch. "But then this SUV hits them. It was so inhumane! It was 8:20 p.m. at night and there was very little traffic. It could have been avoided if drivers slowed down."

Maeng and his fiance be heard screaming in horror as they witnessed the adult geese and baby geese being hit. Many of the goslings and adults appear to have been killed on impact. Sadly, some were still alive and kept trying to move even after they were hit, he said.

"We couldn't take video any longer because it was so terrible," he recalled. "Some of them were half dead and trying move. I wanted to kill them to ease the pain ... so cruel and inhumane to run them over."

"They slowed down after hitting them, then continued driving away. I couldn't take a picture of the license plate because they drove away," he said of the runaway driver.

Maeng said this happened at about 8:20 p.m. Monday night, June 4, and there was very little traffic on Rt. 1. He asked that Patch and the public share his video widely because he wants police to find the driver.

South Brunswick Deputy Police Chief Jim Ryan told Patch they are indeed very keen to talk to the driver of that dark green Expedition.

But did the driver actually break any laws?

"There are clear laws if you hit a domesticated animal, such as a dog," explained South Brunswick police Det. Dennis Yuhasz. "You must report it."

He said the law is less clear on wild animals struck in the roadway, such as a deer or birds. "But, as we speak, our officers are looking into that for clarity," he said.

Maeng, the eyewitness, said what he saw is clearly a crime.

"There is no way the driver didn't see them, which makes this a crime in my opinion," he said.

"South Brunswick Police is aware of the video on Facebook showing several birds being struck on Route 1 Monday night. Police are investigating the incident and ask anyone with information to call 732-329-4646," the department wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.