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Wild Turkey Causes $5,000 In Damages At NJ Home


By

Jen Chung

Published Sep 4, 2013

Modified Sep 4, 2013


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eastern light photography/Shutterstock

 


By

Jen Chung

Published Sep 4, 2013

Modified Sep 4, 2013


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Last week, a NJ resident was the victim of a, well, a turkey that went berserk inside her Kinnelon home. According to the Star-Ledger, "a turkey had smashed through one of her home's windows and broken into the building" and then "ran amok once inside the home by breaking shelving, vases and other items and poking holes in sheet rock."

The turkey, a male "tom," tried to peck its way out of another window but police say it could only manage to get its head out: "When police arrived on the scene to try to remove the bird, the turkey ran into another room and crashed through a five-by-five double-pane window before fleeing into the woods, [Police Lt.] Schwartz said."

Schwartz added, "There were feces everywhere" and estimated damages at $5,000. Apparently turkeys are freaked out by reflections of themselves, so they peck at shiny surfaces. And suddenly it seems we have a lot more in common with turkeys than we ever realized.

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Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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