rolo

Rolo, the 2-year-old boxer-lab mix who died when his owner's car sank in the icy waters of the Toms River (Photo courtesy of Helecia Morris)

SEASIDE HEIGHTS - A police sergeant is the focus of an internal investigation after he was accused of posting comments on Facebook about the dog that died in a truck that plunged through the ice on the Toms River, authorities said.

The two posts Sgt. Thomas Yannacone made about the dog, named Rolo, were brought to the police department's attention, according to spokesman Detective Steve Korman.

"In accordance with our procedure for handling citizen complaints, we have opened an administrative internal affairs investigation," Chief Thomas Boyd said in a statement. "We are required to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and we anticipate that it will take the next few weeks to do so."

The social media posts made reference to the boxer-lab mix that was found dead inside a truck that crashed through the ice on the Toms River over the weekend, authorities said. The dog's owner, 27-year-old Andrew Mayer, was accused of doing doughnuts on the frozen river before the truck sank.

"Why didn't the dog do the Doggie Paddle," a portion of one of the posts said. "And was he listening to Van Halen's Diver Down just before going thru the ice?"

Another post said in part, "Truck plunging thru the ice with a dog inside brings a whole new meaning to FROZEN WEINER or DIRTY WATER DOG ... what, to soon, calm down u animal loving freaks..."

The investigation into Yannacone will focus on whether or not he violated the Seaside Heights Police Department's policy on personal websites and social media, Boyd said.

The policy states that "while employees have a right to maintain personal web pages and websites, their status as a member of the Seaside Heights Police Department requires that the content of those web pages and websites not be in violation of existing agency policy or directives or create a potential conflict of interest."

The department said as part of the investigation, it would review the existing policies to determine if any revisions were appropriate.

"The Seaside Heights Police Department takes this matter seriously and will fully investigate the same," Boyd said in the statement. "Our department policies are intended to insure that members of this agency do not bring discredit to the department nor offend the public."

State Police on Tuesday charged the dog's owner with criminal mischief, reckless driving and pollution. The truck remained in the frozen river and the State Police said a private company would have to be contracted to remove it.

Mayer's relatives told NJ Advance Media that he tried to save the dog before the truck sank.

The state SPCA was investigating and charges are pending, according to the State Police.

Ashley Peskoe may be reached at apeskoe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ashleypeskoe. Find NJ.com on Facebook.