New Hunting Rules Proposed In NJ After Dog Killed By Crossbow

HUNTERDON COUNTY, NJ — Nearly a month after a family dog was killed by a crossbow in Hunterdon County, New Jersey lawmakers are proposing changes to the rules that govern hunting.

Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union has introduced "Tonka's Law," he announced during a Facebook Live event Wednesday with the Mongno family. The law is named after the family's dog, an Alaskan shepherd who was killed in September after it was shot by a hunter near the family's Readington Township home.

Police said the hunter claimed to have mistaken the dog for a coyote.

Tonka's Law, cosponsored by Sen. Kip Bateman, R-Somerset, would require hunters to stay at least 450 feet away from a residence. The current law allows hunting within 150 feet of homes. Additionally, the law would require hunters give written notice to homeowners if they are hunting nearby.

Lesniak, who held the live announcement in the Mongno's backyard, said Tonka's death was unnecessary. James Mongno, speaking during the announcement, said he didn't even know there was a hunter that close to his home and if he did, he would have taken extra precautions.

"This is not a political issue, it’s a safety issue," Lesniak said.

Elizabeth Mongno, describing the incident on social media shortly after it happened, said she was in her yard with Tonka when he began chasing a deer. She was following him and calling for him but he didn't come back. "He has done this before and comes back 30 secs later," she wrote on Facebook.

That time, though, he didn't come back.

Elizabeth Mongno said one of her neighbors had given a relative permission to hunt on their property.

The hunter, identified by police as Romeo Antonuccio of Kenilworth, told officers that he thought the dog was a coyote chasing a deer. Police determined Antonucci was licensed to hunt and was the proper distance from the surrounding residences.

Mongno says she and her neighbors are "furious" about what happened.

Here is the announcement of Tonka's Law:

PHOTO: Morguefile