Cousin: Toms River Pickup Truck Driver Who Fell Through Ice Tried To Rescue Dog

Relatives of the man whose dog died when his pickup truck broke through ice on the Toms River say he tried to rescue the boxer, to no avail.

Animal activists, meanwhile, infuriated by the death of Rolo, the boxer, are demanding harsh penalties in Sunday’s incident.

Relatives of Andrew Mayer, the Toms River man who was driving the pickup truck before it broke through the ice and sank, gave NJ.com a detailed explanation of Sunday’s events.

Donna Jung, Mayer’s cousin, said Mayer drove onto the ice and then left the truck running while he walked back to shore to play with Rolo. Jung told NJ.com that Rolo followed Mayer out on the ice and into the truck when Mayer went to retrieve the pickup.

Jung and Helecia Morris told NJ.com Mayer risked his life to save his dog and had to be pulled out of the ice twice by friends. Those friends ran away when they heard the police sirens, Jung and Morris told NJ.com.

Related stories:

• Seaside Heights Cop Rips ‘Animal Loving Freaks’ Angry Over Dog’s Death In Icy Toms River
• Poll: Should Toms River Truck Driver Who Fell Through Ice, Killing Dog, Be Criminally Charged?
• UPDATE: Two Men Identified After Pickup Truck Falls Through Toms River Ice; Dog Dies
• Cops: Man Won’t Be Charged In Pickup Truck Sinking In Toms River, Killing Dog

New Jersey State Police are continuing their investigation into the incident. Initial police reports said Mayer, 27, drove onto the river shortly after midnight and was seen doing ”donuts” on the ice, before the truck disappeared from sight, according to Toms River police.

U.S. Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue personnel looked for the truck for several hours, before a Coast Guard helicopter located the pickup about 10:20 a.m. off Pine Beach, in an area where the water is about 6 feet deep.

Divers found the body of Rolo in the truck Sunday afternoon while searching for human victims and retrieved it at that time, State Police Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams said Sunday evening.

It was later Sunday afternoon that Mayer and a friend, Daniel Jolly, 25, of Toms River, walked into the Toms River police headquarters to report the incident. Jolly had been in the pickup truck, but got out before Mayer drove it onto the ice, police have said. Jolly will not be charged in the incident, New Jersey State Police said Monday.

The account Jung and Morris told NJ.com conflicted with that, saying Jolly was in the truck when Mayer was doing donuts on the ice.

The announcement that police would not charge Jolly angered animal rights activists, who felt Jolly should be held at least partly responsible for Rolo’s death. Commenters posting on the Facebook page Sammy the cocker spaniel, which posted the photo and name of the boxer, said both men should be charged in the case.

“Both these guys should be charged in the senseless death of this poor dog,” wrote Martin Mondoker, one of the page’s administrators. The page was created to highlight the case of Sammy, the cocker spaniel from Brick Township who was neglected and discarded by his owners in a case that drew worldwide attention. “If this was a child the passenger would have been charged as he was there at the scene!”

Commenters on the Toms River Patch poll overwhelming felt both men should be charged, for what many called a callous act in leaving the dog behind. More than 2,500 votes had been cast in the poll as of noon Tuesday, with nearly 80 percent of them saying the pair, but especially Mayer, should be charged.

Jung and Morris expressed frustration at the outpouring on social media of anger over Rolo’s death.

“He did everything by this dog,” Morris told NJ.com. “His dog was his child. He was his kid. Everywhere Andy went, he was right there next to him.”

Officials of the NJ SPCA, whose Facebook page has been filled with angry comments on the Toms River case, could not comment on the NJ.com article, citing the ongoing investigation.