In an incredible turn of events, a golden retriever who had been missing for 16 days was rescued from the waters of Barnegat Bay on the Jersey Shore.
The rescue mission began early on a Tuesday morning when New Jersey State Police Troopers Ryan Koehler and Vincent Ferdinandi received an unexpected call. A golden retriever was spotted swimming approximately 75 yards from the shore and needed urgent help.
Troopers quickly sprang into action, boarding a Zodiac boat to reach the exhausted pup. Ferdinandi, speaking to PEOPLE, shared that they used a rope line to gently coax the dog to safety. After navigating the waters, they finally pulled him onto a pier behind a house.
“He was exhausted,” Ferdinandi said. “Unquestionably malnourished and hungry.”
The dog, named Chunk, is a 3-year-old golden retriever who had gone missing under heartbreaking circumstances. On June 6, while playing fetch with his owners, Marie and James Zangara, Chunk became scared and bolted into the woods. Despite an extensive search that included social media outreach, local police, baited traps, and even trail cameras, Chunk’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
The breakthrough came on the morning of June 16 when two joggers on the Mantoloking Bridge spotted him. They tried to catch him, but in a panic, Chunk leaped into the water. By the time he was rescued, he had swum over two kilometers.
Upon reaching dry land, Chunk was understandably fearful of the officers and kept his distance. “He kind of backed away from us,” Ferdinandi recalled. However, the troopers kept a close eye on him, offering comfort until Chunk’s family arrived to reunite with their beloved dog.
After 16 days of uncertainty and survival, Chunk was finally home, though weary and hungry. The heroic efforts of the police officers and the concerned community helped bring this dog home, proving that even in the toughest situations, there’s always hope.
“Seeing their relief that a member of their family was back was incredible, and the dog was glad to see his family as well,” Ferdinandi says.
Koehler, a trooper for 16 years, has a rescue Lab/shepherd mix and understands how terrible it would be to have a dog gone for up to two weeks. “I absolutely get it,” he says.
“We’re just glad that the dog and his owners can be reunited,” Ferdinandi adds.
The New Jersey State Police posted the good news on their Facebook page early Tuesday, in a post that has been shared over 6,000 times.
“Troopers Koehler and Ferdinandi responded in a motorboat and discovered Chunk, who was swimming near the Mantoloking Bridge, and were able to safely bring him to land,” the State Police said in a Facebook post.
“Chunk, a three-year-old boy, has been gone for more than two weeks,” the message adds. “It goes without saying that he was happy to see his thankful owners again.”
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