Deptford mourns Fred the turkey, its beloved and unofficial mascot

Fred, a beloved wild turkey whose antics stopped traffic along a busy stretch of a Deptford roadway, was struck and killed by a motorist, authorities said.

Dubbed Deptford’s unofficial mascot, the turkey had become a celebrity, albeit a nuisance at times, strutting around the South Jersey community, watching traffic, pecking cars and chasing passersby at nearby businesses.

The Deptford Police Department announced Fred’s passing Wednesday in a social media post that went viral. The department said it had received over 100 nuisance calls about Fred over the years.

“Truth be told, Fred was a bit of a handful,” the post said. “But, he was our handful and we loved him. Fred’s patrolling the big intersection in the sky now.”

The community responded with an outpouring of condolences, memes, and remembrances of the wayward turkey who boldly roamed the streets even during the Thanksgiving season. There were frequent reported sightings and encounters with Fred.

» READ MORE: Meet the beloved wild turkey who stops traffic and terrorizes a South Jersey community

“Rest easy to my boy Fred. He ain’t deserve this,” wrote Cole Judge.

Another person started a hashtag — #Justice4Fred. T-shirts with a picture of Fred wearing a yellow police flap jacket are being sold; 10% of the sales will be donated to the police. There were also calls to erect a marble or bronze statute to honor Fred.

Deptford Police Officer Ricky Rodgers created a song in memory of Fred, who was known for causing traffic jams that prompted police to dispatch a cruiser. The lyrics said in part:

“Beep, beep horn but he won’t move on. Whole town stuck ‘til the turkey gone. We laughed. We cursed him … Fred’s out here wilding. Deptford ain’t Deptford without you.”

In January 2025, Deptford Mayor Paul Medany ordered the public works department to put up a turkey crossing sign to warn motorists to look out for Fred, whom some referred to as Tom.

The stubborn bird often ignored honking motorists who tried to get him to move. When drivers tried to maneuver around him, Fred tried to peck their cars. (Turkeys peck cars when they see their own reflection and mistakenly believe it’s another turkey.)

Kim Chiocchi, who tended to Fred and put out birdseed and peanuts — his favorite, said she was in bed recovering from gallbladder surgery when her husband delivered the news about Fred.

“I’m going to miss him,” Chiocchi said Thursday.

Chiocchi said Fred was hanging out near Caulfield Avenue and Clements Bridge Road when he was struck, possibly by a black Ford F150. The incident was captured on camera at DHY Motorsports, but the license plate was not visible, she said.

She said a police officer helped remove his remains from the roadway and she buried Fred in her yard, where he frequently hung out and slept in the trees. She collected some of his feathers and has ordered a plaque for the burial site.

“For you to just hit him and leave him, I will never forgive you,” she said.

Deptford resident Keith Drake organized a vigil for 6 p.m. Friday at 33 Caulfield Ave., where Fred was buried. He said seeing the turkey outside a nearby Wawa pecking his car tires and flapping his wings cheered up his daughter.

“I know he may be just a turkey to some, but to most of us in Deptford, he was a family,” Drake wrote in a text message. “He’s brightened a lot of people’s lives in our community and I just thought we could show our thanks.”

Wild turkeys are often lured to suburbia, where the habitat and plentiful supply of food from neighbors make ideal living conditions. Neighbors believe Fred had been around for several years.