S 1010 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes offense of reckless trespass involving wild animal; establishes penalties; establishes liability for resulting harm to wild animal.

This bill creates a new offense for entering animal enclosures without permission and harassing or provoking wild animals in captivity (like at zoos). It directly affects visitors, activists, or others who enter restricted areas, classifying violations as a misdemeanor (no harm), fourth-degree crime (injury), or third-degree crime (death) with escalating penalties up to 5 years in prison. Convicted individuals must pay for animal injury/death costs, and parents/guardians may be liable for juvenile offenders' actions. The law explicitly states that poor enclosure security, animal provocation, or self-defense cannot be used as legal defenses.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors