Toms River Man Hiring Attorney In Icy River Incident: Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- The Toms River man whose dog died last March when his pickup truck broke through the ice on the Toms River and sank has decided to hire an attorney, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press reported Andrew Mayer appeared in Superior Court in Ocean County on Monday with attorney Bradley Billhimer, who told the judge he expected Mayer to hire him on Tuesday to defend him in the case.

Mayer, 28, appears to have finally acquiesced to repeated suggestions from Superior Court Judge James Blaney to allow an attorney to represent him in the case that dates back to the March 1, when Mayer drove his pickup truck onto the frozen river around midnight. When his truck’s lights disappeared, police called in search personnel, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the New Jersey State Police marine unit, to search for any occupants.

The 10-hour search ended when Mayer went to the police station in Toms River to report that he was safe.

But while he survived uninjured, his 2-year-old boxer mix, Rolo, drowned in the truck.

State Police charged him with a third-degree count of ciminal mischief for causing a substantial interruption of public services. He also has been charged with reckless driving and pollution, state police said.

The New Jersey SPCA charged Mayer with a third-degree count of animal cruelty; under New Jersey’s animal cruelty statute, 4:22-17, it is a crime to leave an animal ”unattended in a vehicle under inhumane conditions adverse to the health or welfare of the living animal or creature.” Under Patrick’s Law, named for the pit bull that was nearly starved to death and then thrown down a garbage chute by his owner, animal cruelty is upgraded a third-degree crime if the animal dies as a result.

Mayer has said he tried to rescue the dog but was unable to before the truck sank.

Mayer’s next court date is Feb. 1, according to the Press report.