More than 100 box turtles dumped along riverbank in New Jersey

CRANFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- More than 100 box turtles that are not native to New Jersey mysteriously appeared along a Cranford roadway this week, prompting residents to rescue the reptiles and investigators to examine whether they may have been dumped as part of an illegal wildlife trade.

The unusual sight was first reported Wednesday morning near Riverside Drive and Casino Avenue, adjacent to the Rahway River. Investigators initially believed the animals might have been snapping turtles emerging after heavy rain, but residents soon realized the reptiles were box turtles.

Among those drawn to the search was 12-year-old Henning Schmidt, who spent Friday looking for turtles along the river.

"My mom told me about the turtles that got released, and I really like reptiles and amphibians and birds and whatever, so I went over here and I tried to catch one," Schmidt said.

Schmidt said he was surprised by how many turtles he found.

"I didn't think I was actually going to find any, but then I found three, two. And then I was like, I got to come back here, this is good. And then I came and I caught another one over there like an hour ago," he said.

Resident Angela Cichoski said she first learned about the turtles through calls and messages from neighbors.

"So I get a call from one of my neighbors. I'm known as the animal rescuer in the neighborhood. That there were two, random turtles on our in our courtyard," Cichoski said.

A short time later, she learned the scope of the situation was much larger.

"I get a text from another neighbor saying that there's about 50 turtles down the block, so we all go racing down, and there were literally over 100 turtles just walking into the road. So neighbors came out. Everyone's trying to get them slowing cars down on this busy road, trying to get them back," Cichoski said.

Cichoski said catching the animals proved challenging.

"People think turtles are slow until you're trying to catch 100 of them from running into the road. They're quicker than you think," she said.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the turtles were part of an illegal wildlife trade before being dumped in the area.

The health department is asking residents who find a box turtle to bring it to the Cranford Fire Department.

Cichoski offered similar advice.

"I would just say if you see any turtles, you know, put gloves on, put them in a box and just walk them over to the Cranford fire station between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and just wash your hands," she said.