A Monmouth County grand jury has indicted a man accused of leaving a young pit bull mix to drown in a cage at water's edge during a rising tide last summer.

Aaron Davis, 35, of Long Branch, is charged with animal cruelty and attempted animal cruelty after allegedly leaving the dog inside a cage on a portion of sand between a bulkhead and the water as the tide came in on July 31, 2018.

A woman walking her own dog in Veterans Memorial Park in Highlands spotted the caged dog and rescued it. The rescued dog became known as River.

Prosecutors have said Davis wanted revenge against his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, who gave her the dog.