South Jersey Man Indicted on Animal Cruelty Charges After Beheading Seagull

Cape May, NJ — A 30-year-old man from Cape May was indicted on animal cruelty charges last month, accused of decapitating a seagull near a popular boardwalk amusement park. Franklin Ziegler was indicted by a grand jury on June 24, almost one year after North Wildwood police initially charged him with third-degree animal cruelty. Ziegler is scheduled for arraignment next Wednesday. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment. The incident occurred during the week of Independence Day last year. According to police, Ziegler told officers he killed the seagull after it attempted to grab French fries from his daughter. On July 6, authorities responded to a call at Surfside Pier, part of the Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Water Parks. Workers at the park reported that Ziegler approached them asking for a trash bag while holding the bird. Police documented the incident with photographs of the dead seagull, which have been used as evidence in the case.