Key keywords: New Jersey K-9 death, police officer charged, hot car K-9 fatality, law enforcement animal cruelty, K-9 handler misconduct, New Jersey prosecutor office, patrol vehicle heat-related death, working police dog protection According to an official announcement from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office released on Tuesday, a 29-year-old Robbinsville Township police officer has been arrested and formally charged in connection with the heat-related deaths of two K-9 officers under his care earlier this month. The officer, identified as Matthew S. Ellsworth, had served as the primary handler for the department’s two K-9s, 4-year-old German Shepherd Jax and 3-year-old Belgian Malinois Django, for more than two years at the time of the incident. On August 12, Ellsworth finished his 8-hour patrol shift at approximately 3 p.m., parked his marked patrol vehicle in the unsecured employee lot of the Robbinsville Police Department headquarters, and left the two K-9s locked inside the vehicle without activating the air conditioning or opening any windows. Local meteorological records show the outdoor high temperature that day hit 92 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 99 degrees. A subsequent forensic investigation found the internal temperature of the patrol vehicle climbed to more than 122 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours of Ellsworth leaving the lot. The K-9s were not discovered until 7:15 p.m. that same day, when a custodial worker cleaning the parking lot noticed the two dogs unresponsive in the back seat of the patrol vehicle. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene immediately, but both animals were pronounced dead on arrival, with preliminary necropsy results confirming heatstroke as the cause of death. Ellsworth faces two counts of third-degree felony animal cruelty, one count of official misconduct, and one count of reckless endangerment. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 10 years in state prison, fines of up to $15,000, and a permanent ban from owning or working with animals. A spokesperson for the Robbinsville Township Police Department confirmed Ellsworth has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, and the department’s entire K-9 unit has been temporarily suspended while a third-party firm conducts a full review of all K-9 handling protocols, training requirements, and safety equipment checks. New Jersey passed the K-9 Partner Protection Act in 2021, which mandates all law enforcement agencies operating K-9 units install temperature monitoring and alarm systems in all K-9 transport vehicles, and requires handlers complete annual heat safety training. The investigation into Ellsworth found he had intentionally disabled the vehicle’s heat alarm system two days prior to the incident, because he found the alert notifications “annoying” during long patrols, according to court documents. A representative from the New Jersey chapter of the ASPCA released a statement following the charges, calling the incident “a completely preventable tragedy that highlights the need for stricter oversight of K-9 units across the state. These dogs are not property, they are valued members of law enforcement teams who risk their lives every day to protect communities, and they deserve the highest standard of care.”