Franklin Zeigler was sentenced for decapitating a seagull who tried to eat his daughter’s French fries at a New Jersey boardwalk in 2024.
man who decapitated a seagull attempting to eat his daughter’s French fries has learned his fate.
On March 12, Franklin Zeigler was sentenced to 263 days in jail, with credit for time served, and five years’ probation, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Courts told Oxygen.com. Zeigler was also admitted into the Judiciary’s recovery court program for individuals with substance abuse disorders.
Zeigler pleaded guilty to third-degree animal cruelty, among other charges, according to a plea form reviewed by Oxygen.com.
In 2024, Zeigler and his daughter were visiting Ocean Oasis Waterpark at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, NJ, when a flock of seagulls descended on their cabana and, per a memorandum of decision doc, tried to eat his daughter’s French fries.
A man was sentenced for decapitating a seagull who tried to eat his daughter’s French fries at a New Jersey pier. Photo: iStock/Getty
Witnesses told police, cited in the document, that Zeigler grabbed a bird with his bare hands and, in a pulling motion, ripped off its head, then placed it in a trashcan. According to the witnesses, Zeigler showed off the dead bird and took photos of the scene.
Waterpark staff reported to police that Zeigler’s acts were “frightening and disruptive,” read the memorandum, and as a result, he was formally removed from the theme park.
“During the investigation, Zeigler was irate and uncooperative with officers on an unrelated investigation,” read a Facebook post by the North Wildwood Police Department, “which resulted in his arrest for disorderly conduct & resisting arrest, both disorderly persons offenses.”
Zeigler admitted to killing the seagull, authorities noted in the doc, and that he acted defensively to the bird’s “imminent attack.”
Animal rights activists called Zeiger’s sentencing a “slap on the wrist.”
“This was a brutal act of torture committed in broad daylight in front of children,” spokesperson for the non-profit In Defense of Animals Doll Stanley said in a March 13 press release. “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.”
