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Dog left in cage in New Jersey bay rescued as tide rose

Officials are crediting a dog walker with rescuing the pit-bull mix from an almost certain death. The person who left "River" in the Sandy Hook Bay is being sought.

River, a pit-bull mix, left, was found in the cage, right, in Sandy Hook Bay a the North Jersey Shore.
River, a pit-bull mix, left, was found in the cage, right, in Sandy Hook Bay a the North Jersey Shore.Read moreMonmouth County Prosecutor's Office

Officials are looking for the person who left a pit bull mix in a cage in Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands, N.J., abandoning the dog to die with the rising tide.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said a dog walker saw the caged animal Monday morning in the water at Veterans Memorial Park and rescued him.

"The tide was coming in and the water had reached the cage," the office said in a statement. "The Good Samaritan climbed over the wall and rescued the dog."

"If not for the heroic rescue act of the Good Samaritan, the dog could have potentially drowned," the office said.

The dog was turned over to the Monmouth County SPCA, which named him River.

"Although River is a bit shaken up, he is in good physical shape and seems to have been well cared for," the SPCA said in a statement.

The Prosecutor's Office said it was looking for the person who left the dog in the cage or any witnesses who might have seen the person.