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Motions filed by the Prosecutor’s Office to revoke the pre-trial release of Aimee Lonczak, 49, and Michele Nycz, 58, both of Brick Township, were denied by Judge Guy P. Ryan on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
The two were charged on Dec. 2, 2022, with animal cruelty and child endangerment after authorities found nearly 180 dogs and cats living in unsanitary conditions in their Brick Township puppy mill, police said.
On Jan. 20, they Lonczak and Nycz apparently showed up at an animal shelter and tried to get their dogs back, the prosecutor said.
In his decision of Jan. 31, Judge Ryan denied Billhimer's request to revoke pre-trial release but imposed an additional condition of the defendants’ release — specifically that they are to have no contact with animal shelters or pet stores.
Following a detention hearing on Dec. 8, 2022, Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels released Lonczak and Nycz under the condition that they were to have no contact with animals and not return to the home without written approval from the court.
Daniels likewise ordered that Lonczak have no contact with her 16-year-old daughter unless authorized by the Department of Child Protection and Permanency and the Family Part of the Superior Court and that Nycz have no contact with the 16-year-old juvenile.
On Jan. 19, the Brick Township Police Department was contacted by the management of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter in Stafford Township, who said Lonczak and Nycz were at the shelter demanding the return of their dogs, the prosecutor said. The shelter ultimately refused to turn over the dogs to the defendants, Billhimer said.
On Jan. 20, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office filed motions to revoke the pre-trial release of both Lonczak and Nycz, citing that their actions on Jan.19, violated the pre-trial release conditions imposed by Judge Daniels, which was ultimately denied.
It all started on Dec. 2, Brick Police Humane Law officers smelled a strong odor coming from the home and could hear barking from the driveway, police said. When they went inside, their worst fears were confirmed: Stacks of animal crates on top of each other with dogs and cats inside, they said.
Lonczak and Nycz have a joint Instagram page for their "animal rescue" organization "Crazy Rescue Ladies." Their bio says they are 501(c)3, and a "responsible rescue we save injured, unwanted street animals" who depend on PayPal.
Because of the conditions inside the home, the officers were forced to leave and requested that a Hazmat team respond.
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