2 dogs fatally struck by freight train in Branchburg
The dogs were being walked off-leash at the time, police said.
More Stories
Two dogs being walked off-leash by their owner were struck and killed by a freight train Tuesday in Branchburg.
According to Branchburg police, officers responded to the Elm Street area around 10:14 a.m. for a report of two dogs that were struck by a train. When police arrived, they located the owner of the dogs and learned they were being walked without a leash on the train tracks.
"Initial on-scene investigation determined that the dogs were being walked off leash by their owner on the train tracks before the owner recognized that a train was coming, and that the owner was unable to evacuate the dogs from the tracks before they were struck by the oncoming train," Branchburg police said.
Train traffic on the Norfolk Southern railroad was halted while police conducted their investigation and worked to clear the scene. Officers located the two deceased dogs on the bridge of the train tracks above the Raritan River and turned them over to the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter. Train traffic resumed a short time later.
The dog owner was not injured in the incident, police said.
