TRENTON, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- Residents visiting New Jersey's state parks this past weekend left an "inordinate amount" of urine and feces behind as public restrooms remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state police colonel said Monday.
LISTEN LIVE: 1010 WINS' 24/7 coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
During Gov. Phil Murphy's daily briefing on Monday afternoon, New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan said state park police "reported an inordinate amount of urine and feces being left behind in the parks in water bottles" on Saturday and Sunday.
New Jersey's state parks reopened on May 2, but their public restrooms and facilities have been closed since March to mitigate the spread of the virus.
"The whole idea behind the parks is to give our citizens the ability to go out there and enjoy fresh air and have time outside," Callahan said. "That report from the park police was certainly disheartening, to say the least."
"There is a zero-tolerance policy for that," he added. "Our park police, our counties, our state police will be watching for that."
Murphy threw his support behind Callahan after the colonel delivered the unsettling news, saying he "like(d) (Callahan's) phrase, 'zero tolerance.'"
"You're not (just) going to get a warning if we catch you leaving something like that behind, so folks, please don't do that," the governor said.
Parkgoers should keep the fact that park restrooms are closed in mind before they venture outdoors, Callahan advised.
"People should plan accordingly and should not be urinating in bottles and leaving them behind," he said. "Because I think that may lead us to take a different approach moving forward, if I could speak for the governor in that regard."
Like 1010 WINS on Facebook and follow @1010WINS on Twitter to get breaking news, traffic, and weather for New York City.
