Local News - Cockfighting operation in Mullica shutdown

By LEE PROCIDA Staff Writer | Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2010 | 3 comments

MULLICA TOWNSHIP -- Police arrested a man Thursday afternoon after finding nearly 50 roosters caged in his Reading Avenue backyard that are part of an illegal *censored*fighting operation.

Police arrested Angel Gradiz, 51, the owner of the property on the eastern end of......Continue Reading

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Reading Avenue. He was charged with operating an animal fighting facility and sent to jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals workers were at the scene Thursday afternoon killing the roosters one-by-one, by injecting them with a solution since they were too hostile to be kept with humans or other animals.

Housed in individual small wire cages a short walk into the woods behind the home, the roosters that authorities said were likely specially bred and imported from South America had their wattles and crests cut off, a technique used to give fighting birds an advantage.

Detectives from the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office were at the home Thursday morning searching for a fugitive they said lived at the home recently. They did not find the man, but their training led them to identify the situation and suspect the unlawful activity.

There are few houses around the home that is less than a mile off Route 30, although the chickens' crowing could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Most neighbors were not home Thursday morning and afternoon while police investigated the scene.

"I mean, I've heard roosters in the morning, but I didn't realize that was going on," said Al Schwartz, 47, who lives about 100 yards down the street and said most of the people there keep to themselves.

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