Man Wanted For 22 Counts Of Animal Abuse Hid In Secaucus Motel

SECAUCUS, NJ — An upstate New York man who was on the run from 22 counts of animal abuse for keeping up to 10 dead dogs in his home, and was barred by a judge from owning animals, was found hiding out in the Royal Motel in Secaucus last week, with two Huskies.

Jerome Adler, 76, was arrested Thursday when he returned to the town where he lives, Stony Point, New York, just south of Bear Mountain. Meanwhile, the Huskies he had been keeping were found by Secaucus police in a motel room at the Royal, according to the director of the Secaucus Animal Shelter.

Adler was arrested Nov. 8 in Stony Point. He had been wanted by police there for failing to appear for a Sept. 26 court date, after the home he and his wife lived in was raided last June. In that raid, Stony Point police said they found 21 Husky dogs covered in urine and feces and living in squalid conditions; two dogs were reportedly trapped under debris in the home's backyard and had to be rescued. Incredibly, the carcasses of up to 10 more dead dogs were being kept in trash bags in the home.

Stony Point police say they were tipped off by a resident last week that Adler was in the area, and he was arrested while driving near the town, and taken to the Rockland County jail in lieu of a $25,000 bail. At the time of his arrest, he told Stony Point police that he had been living at the Royal Motel in Secaucus, and that two dogs were still there, according to Christine Conte, the director of the Secaucus Animal Shelter.

The Hudson Valley Humane Society asked Secaucus police to do a welfare check at the Royal last Thursday, and that's when they found the Huskies, which were both in good condition and appeared healthy, she said. The small motel room was filled with bags of dog food.

"They would have started barking eventually, so someone would have heard them," said Conte. "But these people were hoarders."

Adler's alleged troubling history with dogs started in June of 2017, when a concerned neighbor called the Hudson Valley Humane Society to report unsanitary conditions and possible animal abuse at his Chestnut Street home, pictured above.

Stony Point police obtained a search warrant and raided the home on June 22 of last year, where they said they "found squalid conditions including urine- and fecal-covered floors and conditions not safe or suitable for dogs. Approximately 21 adult Husky dogs were taken alive from within the small ranch-style home. The dogs were in various stages of health."

A further investigation of the home discovered up to 10 animal carcasses believed to be dogs being kept both inside and outside the home in trash bags and plastic garbage cans. The property was found to be unsafe for human habitation and it was condemned. Adler's wife was initially charged with 22 counts of animal abuse as well, but those charges were later dropped.

At his arraignment, Stony Point town judge Frank Phillips said he did not think the Adlers were a flight risk, but he warned them in a court order “not to take the risk of ownership” of any more animals until their trial was resolved. Adler then failed to appear for his first trial date this September.

Conte said she wants to make sure the two Huskies found in Secaucus will not be returned to the Adlers. She also pointed out that the Royal Motel has a "No Pets" sign, but it is clearly not enforced. After all, that's the same motel where a dog was found beaten within an inch of its life on Sept. 24 of this year. The a six-pound Maltese Shih Tzu survived, but was left blind and with a traumatic brain injury. Secaucus police have made no arrests in that incident.

"That is the second incident at the Royal within about a month," said Conte.

Related: Dog Found Severely Injured At Secaucus Motel On Rt. 3

Photo credits: Google Earth image of the Royal Motel on Rt. 3; all other photos provided to Patch by Stony Point police.