Officers from the Deptford Township, New Jersey, Police Department responded to an unusual yet humorous call on the afternoon of December 5 as they found themselves engaged in a “hog-wild” pursuit involving a runaway pig named Albert Einswine.
The 4-year-old pig had managed to escape from a farm in the New Sharon section of Deptford Township, located in Gloucester County, prompting a 30-minute pursuit near Tanyard Road and Brenner Drive that both challenged and amused officers.
A 20-second video shared by the police department on Facebook captured the comical scene of officers attempting to wrangle the pig with a slip collar.
“Alright, we’re all friends here,” one officer can be heard pleading with the pig, eliciting laughter from the other officers involved in the pursuit.
Detective Sergeant Bob Jones shed light on the humorous incident.
“The video doesn’t show the whole thing. We had to chase the pig for a quarter mile. They’re faster than they look. He got pretty far for what it was. I don’t know where he was going to go,” Jones explained.
Despite the comedic nature of the chase, the officers managed to apprehend Albert Einswine, who, true to his rebellious nature, resisted going quietly into custody.
“The slippery hog got loose from a local pig farm in Deptford Township on Tuesday and evaded arrest as long as he could,” Jones said.
“Cops chasing a pig is never not funny,” he continued, reflecting on the lighthearted moments during the pursuit. “He wasn’t listening. He didn’t listen to our commands at all. Everything we learned in the academy went right out the window.”
The police department shared a photo of officers with the collared pig on Facebook, captioning it with: “Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.”
Fortunately, the story had a happy ending, as the pig was “released on his own recognizance” and reunited with its owner, who arrived on scene and expressed their gratitude for the efforts of the officers in bringing the runaway pig back into captivity.
While Deptford Township is known for its numerous of pig farms, the police department noted that runaway swine calls are an uncommon occurrence.
