March 16, 2026
Bill Oxford/Unsplash
Franklin Zeigler, 30, of Cape May, was sentenced to eight months in prison for beheading a seagull at Morey's Piers in North Wildwood in July 2024. Zeigler was released for time served and ordered to pay a $155 fine.
An animal rights organization says it is "profoundly disappointed" with the resolution of a case against a man who decapitated a seagull at Morey's Piers in North Wildwood two years ago.
Franklin Zeigler, 30, of Cape May, killed the bird at the boardwalk amusement park on July, 6 2024, after it attempted to take french fries from his daughter. Zeigler then took the dead bird to park staff and asked for a bag to dispose of it, investigators said.
On Friday, Cape May County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Wilson sentenced Zeigler to 263 days in prison — a little over eight months — for a third-degree felony count of cruelty to animals. Zeigler was released on five years' parole and credited with time served. He also was also ordered to pay a $155 fine.
Doll Stanley, a campaigner for California-based nonprofit In Defense of Animals, said in a statement: “263 days and a $155 fine is a slap on the wrist for a third-degree felony. This was a brutal act of torture committed in broad daylight in front of children."
When questioned by police after the boardwalk incident, Zeigler became "irate and uncooperative" with officers, authorities said. He was taken into custody on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and was later charged with animal cruelty.
Zeigler had pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charge. The indictment also included child endangerment charges. Zeigler reportedly had been charged separately for an alleged assault of his ex-girlfriend about two months before the incident involving the seagull.
In Defense of Animals had urged Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland to seek the maximum sentence of three to five years' imprisonment for Zeigler.
"It’s horrifying that this malicious act was committed in front of his own child, and other members of the public, which clearly indicates he has serious anger and impulse control issues that must be addressed," the nonprofit said in a letter to Sutherland.
Zeigler's sentence does not include any community service.
"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," the nonprofit said. "Prejudice against any species is unacceptable, and wildlife is not disposable."
