Jersey Shore Beachgoers Witness Man Allegedly Kill Seagull In Ocean City

By Cleve Bryan

OCEAN CITY, NJ – New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the circumstances surrounding a man who killed a seagull at the Jersey Shore to the horror of fellow beachgoers.

The incident happened Friday July 24th at 39th Street in Ocean City.

"He takes a boogie board and he smacks it out of the air and breaks its wing and when it falls in the water he takes a towel and he snaps its neck and threw it in the trash can," says eyewitness Jolie Hess.

Ocean City Police says the man told officers the gull was attacking his daughter so he swatted it with a towel. He did not say he snapped the gull's neck but admitted it was dead by the time he threw it in the trash.

"All gull species are protected by Federal and State laws. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it's illegal to kill, sell, purchase or possess migratory birds on their parts, unless permitted by regulations adopted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service," says Bob Considine, spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife.

Ocean City Police will not release the name of the man who killed the gull.