Monroe Man Charged With Starving Pigs On Long Valley Farm

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Monroe Twp. man who owns and maintains a farm in Long Valley, NJ was arrested this January after police said they found 19 malnourished and nine dead pigs on his Long Valley farm earlier this month.

Joseph Lentine, 74, from Monroe, faces two charges of animal cruelty and two charges of abandoning a domesticated animal, police said. The investigation into his Fairview Avenue Farm started in mid-January when nearby residents called in complaints about the treatment of animals, police said.

Local police and animal control officers, as well as the State Department of Agriculture, investigated the farm, where they found the dead and hungry pigs, police said.

Local farms, residents, and the Department of Public Works in Long Valley set up shelters for the surviving pigs and gave them food and water.

"Without the above working to save the animals and protecting and feeding them, more would have been lost," police said.

Lentine was released from police custody with an upcoming appearance in Superior Court.

Stock photo of a red barn/Alexis Tarrazi/Patch