Dozens of dead cats and dogs were found Saturday in a pick-up truck parked at a strip mall in New Jersey, and dozens more were rescued from the vehicle, according to an animal refuge center.
The Rampapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, located in Oakland, N.J., said more than 40 animals were found dead, and rescuers were able to save 38 dogs and eight cats from the vehicle in the parking lot in Hampton.
Rescuers made the horrific discovery on Saturday, April 8, but the animals were believed to have been there for at least two days. Loose dogs running around the parking lot and a foul order emanating from the vehicle had alerted authorities to the pickup truck – soaked with urine and feces and packed with animals.
The shelter said the dogs and cats inside the truck were "terrified, huddled in all corners." Rescuers spent the night pulling the petrified creatures one by one while having to withstand the odor. The approximately 40 dead animals, meanwhile, were individually wrapped. The vehicle was soaked in urine, feces, and animal remains.
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The owner of the vehicle had a house fire in Virginia, loaded the animals in the pickup truck, and drove to Pennsylvania, the shelter said.
According to the shelter, the dogs are scruffy mixed breeds and appear to be related. They were covered in fleas, urine, and feces when rescued. Each was frightened, some snapping, and others were shaking in fear, the shelter said.
Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge said it took in six dogs. The other animals were taken in by its partners at Second Chance Pet Adoption League, Hampton Animal Control, and the Hopatcong Animal Shelter.
"While last night was a horrific discovery of animal cruelty, the joining together of different organizations to aid these helpless animals was uplifting amid dismay," Megan Brinster, executive director for Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, said in a statement.
"We are thankful to Hampton animal control for their immediate response and staying into the late hours of the night to ensure the animals all had safe placements.
The identity of the driver has not been released. Fox News Digital has reached out to local police and the sheriff’s department seeking more details.
