Franklin C. Zeigler is shown during a May 2025 court hearing. (Credit: Cape May County Corrections)
Animal rights advocates are outraged over what they called an “uncharacteristically light” jail sentence for a Cape May County man who ripped off the head of seagull on the North Wildwood Boardwalk two years ago.
Franklin C. Zeigler, 30, of the Villas section of Lower Township, was sentenced Thursday in state Superior Court to 263 days in jail – roughly eight months – and five years of probation following his guilty plea on animal cruelty charges.
Michael Taylor, assistant criminal court administrator for Cape May County, said Zeigler was given credit for time already served in jail prior to his sentencing.
As part of the proceedings, Zeigler was also admitted to Recovery Court, a program for criminal defendants who have alcohol or substance abuse problems.
John Tumelty, Zeigler’s attorney, did not return messages seeking comment.
Zeigler was arrested on July 6, 2024, after witnesses told police he had decapitated a seagull at Surfside Pier, one of the theme parks at Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Water Parks on the North Wildwood Boardwalk.
According to court documents, Zeigler told police that he became angry when the seagull tried to snatch French fries from his daughter.
North Wildwood police said the investigation included photos of the decapitated seagull and statements from workers at Morey’s Piers who said Zeigler approached them for a trash bag while holding the dead bird.
Witnesses at the scene told police that they saw Zeigler decapitate the seagull, police said in a news release in 2024 announcing his arrest.
Seagulls are a common sight at the Jersey Shore, including on the Ocean City Boardwalk.Zeigler was indicted by a grand jury in 2025 on charges that he “cruelly abused or needlessly mutilated a living animal.”
The case culminated with his sentencing on Thursday. His sentence of 263 days in jail was denounced by the animal rights group In Defense of Animals as a “slap on the wrist.”
“In Defense of Animals is profoundly disappointed in the New Jersey justice system after an uncharacteristically light sentence was handed down to a man who publicly decapitated a seagull on the Jersey Shore,” the organization said in a statement Friday.
Doll Stanley, senior campaigner for In Defense of Animals, called the seagull’s beheading “a brutal act of torture committed in broad daylight in front of children.”
“International human rights law recognizes the right of children to be protected from witnessing animal abuse. New Jersey law allows for severe penalties and mandatory community service to teach animal abusers the value of life, yet the court missed a critical opportunity to hold this individual fully accountable,” Stanley said in a statement.
Fleur Dawes, communications director for In Defense of Animals, said the FBI has established a link between animal cruelty and domestic violence.
“These people who abuse animals are absolutely a red flag for harming other vulnerable members of society,” Dawes said in an interview.
