Latest news with #Spotswood
CBS News
18-07-2025
- CBS News
Police in New Jersey seek driver who struck 7 geese
Seven geese were struck by a car in a New Jersey town, police said. It happened on Monday on Devoe Road in Spotswood. Investigators are still looking for the driver to determine whether it was on purpose. A car appeared to have hit seven geese. A picture taken shortly after the incident shows that it was raining at the time, and roads were slick. Geese are part of the scenery near Devoe Lake in Spotswood. They can sometimes be found on the busy road a few feet away. "I mean, people get mad and honk at them but no one really hits them. I've been here for over 10 years," Spotswood resident Yan Betleman said. "A lot of other cars, a lot of people stopping and taking pictures and such as well," another witness said. "I've lived here 37 years in the town and I've never seen something like that happen before." Neighbors consider the birds pests, especially because of their droppings on lawns and sidewalks. "I don't even like the geese," Pastor Keith Schneider said. Schneider says he heard squawking after the seven were struck. Geese are known to mourn. He noticed their behavior change. "Their heads were low, they sit together, they don't eat. They were there for the whole day. That was sad," Schneider said. At New Jersey Wild Geese Control, owner William Wharrie uses border collies to shoo the birds away without harming. Wharrie says it's common to see geese walking more than flying this time of year. "It takes 30 days for the eggs to hatch, 30 days after that, parents lose their flight feathers. So they've molted their flight feathers and they can't fly. So they have to stay with the babies for the next 30, which is a critical time," Wharrie said. Spotswood Police put out an alert about the incident, saying they are still looking for the driver. The department is conducting interviews with witnesses. So far, the police haven't been able to locate any video of it happening. "What we're hoping to do is just interview the driver. Was it intentional? Was it just an accident? It was raining," Spotswood Police Capt. Edward Schapley said. Depending on an interview with the driver, police could charge them with leaving the scene of an accident or failure to report it. If it was intentional, they could face hunting violations and animal cruelty charges at the state level, because geese are a protected species by the state and federal government. Spotswood Police are asking anyone who may have seen the incident happen, or may have video of it happening, to contact them at 732-251-2121.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby player convicted for post-match handshakes assault
Jonathan Fidow has been convicted of assault and fined $300. Photo: timhester/123RF A Taranaki rugby player, who knocked out an opponent during post-match handshakes, has been convicted of assault, and fined $300. Spotswood premiers player Jonathan Fidow faced a charge of injures with intent to injure or assault with intent to injure for the June 2024 incident. Judge Tony Greig, however, found Fidow did not intend to injure Coastal player Matthew Picard. Fidow argued he had been subject to race-baiting during the game, but the judge made no finding on this. He was satisfied Picard, who suffered a mild concussion, had been punched. Fidow was suspended from rugby for nine weeks following a disciplinary hearing. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
