Eight pit bulls have been rescued after they were found living in deplorable conditions at an apartment in Neptune City.

Authorities say that the dogs were found Saturday evening. It was a 25-degree night and a neighbor called police after hearing the dogs crying outside. The Monmouth County SPCA found the dogs and puppies outside in the cold with just a plastic tarp protecting them from the elements. The dogs were found at the Brighton Arms apartments.

“These animals were in distress and they were freezing cold, standing in urine. Feet were soaking wet,” says Ross Licitra with the SPCA.

John Vanderhoef says that he was the one to finally call the police. He says that he complained to management for months about the dogs, but that they did not do anything.

“I don’t know if these dogs were friendly or not, but the way they were kept, it’s wrong. It really is,” he says.

One of the dogs appeared to have scarring that is typically seen with dogfighting.

“One of the dogs did have signs of bite marks and scars. Whether or not we can say for certain is was dogfighting, we can’t say at this time,” says Licitra. “But there was something there to raise our suspicious.”

The owner of the dogs is now facing charges.

The dogs will remain at the SPCA and won’t be available for adoption until the case is settled in court.

News 12 New Jersey reached out to the apartment management company for comment, but did not hear back.