Journalist Calls 911 After Finding Dogs Trapped In A Hot Car At Eagle Rock Reservation

You’re finishing a jog through Eagle Rock Reservation on a hot June afternoon in humid, 88-degree weather.

Suddenly, you come across two panting dogs locked in an SUV sitting in direct sunlight.

What do you do?

If you’re People reporter Diane Herbst, you call 911.

This was the situation that Herbst found herself confronting on June 23 at the Essex County park, which is located on the borders of Montclair, Verona and West Orange.

Soon after calling 911, emergency responders from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and the West Orange Fire Department arrived on the scene. Responders opened the door and retrieved the animals, then called the vehicle’s owner, who had allegedly been picking mushrooms in the woods with her son.

Officers on the scene told Herbst that a report on the incident will be filed with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

See the full People article online here.

For more information about the dangers of leaving a pet in a hot, parked car, click here.

Photo and video courtesy of Diane Herbst

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