Snapping Turtle Lays Eggs As Police Ensure Safety of School Children

NEW JERSEY -- Due to the proximity of the nearby Henrietta Hawes Elementary School, Ridgewood Police dispatched patrol officers to ensure that a large snapping turtle laying eggs on the front lawn of a home in the 400 block of Stevens Avenue was not disturbed by children walking to school on Thursday morning.

Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Peter Gillen, pictured, was especially thrilled to watch the egg laying process as this is his last day on the job after serving as a uniformed patrol officer for 25 years with the Village of Ridgewood. 

Best wishes to Officer Gillen for a long and happy retirement!

(Ridgewood Blog - May 30, 2013)