Toms River Man Charged In Pickup Falling Through Ice, Killing Dog

The Toms RIver man whose dog died when his pickup truck broke through the ice on the Toms River has been charged with criminal mischief by state police.

Andrew Mayer, 27, of Toms River, could be facing further charges from the New Jersey SPCA, said Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams.

Mayer has been charged with criminal mischief for causing a substantial interruption of public services, a third-degree criminal offense. He also has been charged with reckless driving and pollution, Williams said.

Charges from the New Jersey SPCA are pending, Williams said. Capt. Rick Yocum said the SPCA investigation is continuing.

Williams said Mayer told police that he and his dog, Rolo, were in the 1989 Mazda pickup when it broke through the ice on Sunday morning off Pine Beach, and that he managed to escape. Mayer told police he was unable to find Rolo, a boxer, when the pickup went under, and made his way to shore, turning himself in to police in Toms River later that day.

That contradicts comments from Mayer’s cousin, Donna Jung, published earlier Tuesday in a story on NJ.com, saying Mayer had to be pulled from the sinking pickup twice by friends as he tried to pull the frightened dog from truck.

Toms River police responded and saw the pickup’s headlights and taillights, and called in search-and-rescue personnel including the state police and the U.S. Coast Guard to find the truck. A Coast Guard helicopter located the pickup several hours later, submerged in about 6 feet of water off Windy Cove in Pine Beach.

Whether Mayer will have to pay restitution for the Coast Guard search is undecided, Petty Officer David Micallef of the Coast Guard’s public affairs office said.

“They are looking into it,” he said late Tuesday afternoon. “There is no final word yet.” The cost of the search-and-rescue operation, which involved an H-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City, was not available. Micallef said that may be part of what Coast Guard officials are looking at. 

Williams and State Police Lt. Brian Polite said that contrary to prior information, Rolo’s body was not retrieved from the river.

“Because of the weather, troopers were unable to risk their lives to bring up the truck or the dog’s body,” Williams said, correcting information given out Sunday.

“When conditions improve the truck and the dog’s body will be extricated,” Polite said.

Snow was falling heavily Sunday afternoon while troopers were on the river in air boats trying to determine whether the pickup could be removed from the water and marking it with a buoy.

Related stories:

• Seaside Heights Cop Rips ‘Animal Loving Freaks’ Angry Over Dog’s Death In Icy Toms River
• Cousin: Toms River Pickup Truck Driver Who Fell Through Ice Tried To Rescue Dog
• 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