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MLB star Todd Frazier went to bat for his New Jersey neighbors Saturday, calling out Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy over the problem of aggressive wild turkeys invading Frazier’s hometown.
“Animal control needs to step up and move these animals ASAP,” Frazier wrote in a Twitter message directed at Murphy. “State wildlife control needs to figure it out. What’s it going to take?”
Minutes earlier, Frazier described how the problem has affected him and people he knows in Toms River, where Frazier played for the team that won the Little League World Series in 1998.
NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS SAY AGGRESSIVE TURKEYS ARE TERRORIZING COMMUNITY
“They are a big problem here,” wrote Frazier, who has played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and New York Mets. “Toms River and the Toms River wildlife say they can’t move them. That’s ridiculous.
“They have come close to harming my family and friends, ruined my cars, trashed my yard and much more.”
Other residents of the area have reached out to local media in an effort to get help with the problem.
Todd Frazier, seen as a Cincinnati Red on June 18, 2015, reacts after hitting a grand slam in the 13th inning of a MLB game against the Detroit Tigers. (Associated Press)
“The turkeys are taking over,” one resident told News 12 New Jersey. “It’s like an infestation."
But despite fielding numerous complaints, personnel at the local animal control office said they can't do anything about the turkeys due to state regulations.
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey is taking heat from MLB star Todd Frazier over a wild turkey problem that has been plaguing Frazier's hometown of Toms River.
“It's nuisance wildlife,” Toms River Animal Control’s Richard Barbosa told WABC-TV of New York City. “We are not licensed to trap, relocate or, as they use the word, harass the turkeys -- or any wildlife, for that matter, that's a nuisance.”
A spokesman for the state's Department of Environmental Protection told the Associated Press the agency was aware of the issue but does not have further comment.
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Frazier -- now a free agent after finishing last season with the Mets, accordng to NJ.com -- isn’t the first professional athlete to take aim at Murphy, a first-term governor who took office in January 2018.
In the summer of 2018, Murphy faced allegations that the women’s soccer team he owns – called Sky Blue FC – was being mismanaged, with players complaining of subpar apartments and training facilities. Murphy later announced that his wife, Tammy Murphy, would help oversee improvements in the team’s operations.
Fox News' Robert Gearty and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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