OCEAN COUNTY – The owners of a one-year-old French bulldog want justice for the senseless murder of their pet and they came out in with friends and supporters to show solidarity in front of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office during a recent winter afternoon. They want justice for Ruby.
Ruby was fatally shot, and her story is bringing more awareness to animal cruelty cases and has forged a local movement for truth and protection for all animals. Jeffrey Lentz, 56 of Berkeley Township is currently facing animal cruelty and weapons charges for Ruby’s murder.
Police responded to 4 Lyford Court in Berkeley Township on October 3, 2025 after Ruby’s owner reported that the dog had died while staying with Lentz, her stepfather.
A veterinarian later determined that Ruby had been shot in the face. X-rays revealed a bullet lodged in the dog’s jaw. The dog’s body was sent to the New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostics Lab in Trenton for a necropsy as investigators worked to determine what occurred.
Berkeley Township Police detectives and Humane Law Enforcement officers investigated the case for a month and their findings concluded that Lentz had unlawfully fired a gun at Ruby, killing her.
Once the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office completed their review of the case they charged Lentz with animal cruelty, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and possession of a large-capacity magazine.
On November 3, 2025, Lentz was arrested and taken to the Ocean County Jail pending a court hearing. He will get his day in court on January 16. According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office: “We moved for detention, and he was released on November 10, 2025.”
A rally was held in front of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office last month where Ruby’s owners, friends and supporters of animal rights came out to bring awareness to the case as well as the need for stiffer penalties for those who commit animal abuse.
Nicole Ingrassia of Waretown described the horrifying evening when she learned of Ruby’s death. “The night of my best friend’s wedding I was a bridesmaid. I dropped my one-year-old bulldog at my mom and stepdad’s house. They babysat. It was the first sleepover at the house and I trusted them, what daughter wouldn’t trust their parents?”
She added, “we got a call that she was attacked by an animal and succumbed to her injuries. On the way there, something didn’t feel necessarily right. My stepdad has a temper so I called a peacekeeper cop and thank God we did because upon arrival he was very hostile and threw us off the property.”
Ingrassia added, “we went to take her for a second opinion and the veterinarian found no sign of an animal attack. They found a bullet lodged in her skull. He is a trained firearms instructor. This never should have happened.”
She said her parents “ghosted” her. “I want the maximum sentence for this monster who I called family at one point. She was like my actual child.” She and her husband are newlyweds. “They took everything from us that night.”
Lisa Crooas of Lacey has been a veterinary technician/veterinary surgical nurse for 30 years and came out for the rally which drew around 25 people. She said Ruby was shot in her mandible which shattered and “this dog suffered for over an hour and they lied and gave a false name when they brought her to Garden State (Veterinary Hospital) and (hospital staff) tried to save her, her throat swelling was so bad and bleeding was so bad they couldn’t intubate right away. She was in extreme pain for over an hour and they were basically going to hide it.”
Crooas noted that in her experience, penalties for actions like this were a $500 fine in the past but now there may be jail time – which is what her owners want to see happen in this case.
“We all think of our animals as our fur babies,” Ingrassia said. “They are thought to be part of our family. They aren’t property; they are family members and for some of us they may be our only child.”
Ingrassia said her stepfather had not said anything to justify or explain the shooting and killing of Ruby. Lentz was released with conditions that he was not allowed to be near the family dog that lives in his home and he has to go to an anger management course. “He is dangerous and should not be back in the community.”
“The court date is open court and everyone is welcome to show up for Ruby,” she added. “The Prosecutor’s Office has been amazing to work with. They are so reassuring and they answer every phone call I made to them. This rally is not directed at the Prosecutor’s Office but it was the place to hold this.”
“A lot of the people here at the rally are total strangers that came out from the Justice4Ruby Facebook group. Some are family members who drove two hours to be here,” Ingrassia said.
Her husband Nicholas remarked on feeling betrayed. “You would never think anyone in your family would do that and pretend that nothing happened. It is heartbreaking. Her mother cut her out of her life and hasn’t spoken to anyone.”
“We are hoping at this dark time with everyone coming together a beacon of light can come from this,” he added.
Rally attendee Maria Buzzeo of Forked River hopes that those who commit actions of violence toward animals will be found “accountable and will think twice about what they do.”
The link for Justice4Ruby can be found at justice4ruby.com
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