Goats and Sheep Destined for Slaughter Escape New Jersey Auction, Make a Run for It
Police and bystanders round up most of the four-legged fugitives, but about 20 are still on the run.
Lambs on the run!
More than 75 sheep and goats destined for the butcher's block busted out of a New Jersey livestock auction pen, and up to 20 of them are still at large.
The market, just a few hundred feet from the Hackettstown Police Department, summoned officers after noticing the animals had bolted through an unlocked gate.
Cops and citizens rounded up the four-legged fugitives in about an hour, but between 10 and 20 remain on the lam.
Police said they don't plan to keep searching. "None of them are causing a problem at this point, so we're not actively looking for them, but if a call comes in we'll take it from there," said Police Sgt. Darren Tynan, the New Jersey Herald reported.
Most of the animals didn't get very far, and some didn't even make it across the street.
It's not the first time an animal has busted out of the pen.
Last year a goat broke out and has never been caught. People in town took to calling him Fred. He shows up every once in a while.
He showed up shortly before this week's big escape and was seen head-butting the gate, some residents said.
Which led Tynan to joke that Fred may opened gate that gave his friends a brief taste of freedom.
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