Man arrested, charged for abandoning four dogs at Humane Society of Atlantic County

A man has been arrested and charged for abandoning multiple dogs at the Humane Society of Atlantic County during evening hours when staff were not available, authorities say.

Jahlil McNeal, 23, of Atlantic City, was arrested on Saturday and charged with cruelty to animals, failure to provide care to animals, theft of services and witness tampering, the Atlantic City Police Department wrote on Facebook. McNeal is accused of dumping four dogs over the fence at the animal shelter, which is located at 1401 Absecon Blvd. in Atlantic City.

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On July 15, McNeal was caught on video arriving at the shelter late at night and walking a black pit bull mix on a leash toward the fence outside the shelter. Once they arrive at the fence, he was seen lifting up the dog and throwing it over the fence. The female dog lands on her side before standing up. 

“This is the 4th dog dumped over our fence by this individual in the middle of the night,” the Humane Society wrote on Facebook at the time.

The dog, named Brenda, had “very distinct scarring” on her back when she arrived at the shelter. The Humane Society announced the “heartwarming update” that she was adopted later that month.

Investigators also said they linked McNeal with a “similar incident” that allegedly happened back in April in which three dogs were abandoned at the Humane Society in a similar fashion to Brenda.

McNeal was arrested during a motor vehicle stop in Atlantic City. He is in police custody in the Atlantic County Justice Facility. Anyone with information can contact the Atlantic City Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 609-347-5766.

The Humane Society typically accepts pet surrenders by appointment only, and the process involves an application and fee. But the shelter's website says it is not accepting surrenders at this time.