Judge sentences “Crazy Rescue Ladies” to one year in prison

✅ 170 dogs and cats were removed from a Brick house in December 2022

✅ The couple led the rescue operation “Crazy Rescue Ladies”

✅ Aimee Lonczak is also charged with child neglect

BRICK TOWNSHIP – Two women who kept more than 170 dogs and cats in their home were sentenced to 364 days in prison by a judge Friday.

Michele Nycz, 60, and Aimee Lonczak, 51, each pleaded guilty in June to two counts of animal cruelty after 129 dogs and 43 cats were removed from their home on Arrowhead Park Drive in Brick in December 2022.

When officers entered the house, they were overwhelmed by the stench of feces and urine coming from the animal cages encrusted with garbage and stacked on top of each other.

The couple ran the Crazy Rescue Ladies rescue operation, which took in dogs from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Several veterinarians and a number of volunteers cared for the animals, keeping them up to date with vaccinations and treating them for fleas and worms.

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Violation of probation conditions

As part of a four-year suspended sentence, a judge also imposed a lifetime ban on Nycz and Lonczak from keeping animals and required them to perform community service that cannot involve animals.

Lonczak is also accused of child neglect because her then 16-year-old daughter also lived in the same house.

The couple got into trouble for violating the conditions of their pre-trial release, which included not having contact with the animals in their care.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said Lonczak and Nycz showed up at the Ocean County Animal Shelter in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township in January 2023 and demanded the release of their dogs. They were accompanied by Lonczak's 16-year-old daughter.

Dan Regenye, Ocean County health coordinator, said the women told shelter staff that they had permission to take in the dogs but did not have documentation to support their request, so it was denied.

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