What washed up on the Keansburg beach? ALYSSA PASSEGGIO, Senior Staff Writer,The Courier, May 8 Posted:05/09/08
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Animal cruelty charges against two North Bergen residents in a Santeria incident last week put some spotlight on Keansburg for similar findings on its beach.
Diana Hernandez and her son, Alain, were each charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty after they dumped five garbage bags containing chickens, guinea hens, pigeons and ducks on a Spring Lake beach last week, Victor "Buddy" Amato said, the chief of police for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Amato said the two were only charged with the remains in two of the bags, since the other three were not retrievable. The SPCA chief said he questioned the two admitted Aborishas, followers of the Santeria religion, about similar findings in Keansburg, but they denied any involvement in the incident.
Keansburg Police Deputy Chief James Pigott said Patrolman Michael Deaney responded to a finding of four garbage bags and two shopping bags containing headless chickens and the innards on April 17. There are no suspects, Pigott said.
The April incident brought back memories of findings of animal parts on the Keansburg beach last year, which non-traditional faith expert Laurie Cabot characterized as a ritual performed by individuals practicing Santeria, San Paulo, Voodon or Satanism.
Amato noted that these incidents are most often reported during the warmer weather but may happen all year long.
Doesn't end there
About 50 volunteers searched the Keansburg shore on April 26 as part of the beach sweep movement. However, some participants found more than just bottle caps and plastic bags.
Keansburg native Kyle Keelen was picking up trash with his teammates from the Kean University football team when he spotted something out of the ordinary: a bone.
"It looked like a deer leg, but there was no meat on it. It was just a bone with a hoof," Keelen explained. "We hadn't even thought about it being part of an animal sacrifice."
The event coordinator, Ann Commarato, said other volunteers had reported findings of bird parts during the day and speculated that the remains washed up or were dropped by another animal.
Amato said there was not a doubt in his mind that the bone finding was related to a ritual. He suggested it could have been from a deer, goat or sheep as they all have the same type of hoof.
The SPCA chief said the rest of the offering probably washed into the water and noted the pollution that it caused. "That is putting bacteria into water that kids sit in or people fish from," Amato explained.
Pigott instructed anyone who comes across a collection of animal remains on the beach to contact the police department at (732) 787-0600 to start an investigation and make contact with Amato.
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