<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups1.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups1.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups1.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Two Paramus police officers rescued 67 puppies from a near-freezing van parked behind Just Pups in Paramus, New Jersey. (Paramus Police Department) (Paramus Police Department)

Two New Jersey police officers rescued nearly 70 puppies from near-freezing temperatures brought on by Winter Storm Ursula early Monday morning after unlocking a van behind a pet store while on patrol.

Paramus police officers Daniel Derienzo and Matthew Lombardo “heard crying and whining coming from inside" of a white van parked behind Just Pups, a local pet store, police chief Kenneth Ehrenberg told the Paramus Daily Voice.

"They also immediately smelled a strong scent of urine and feces" from the van, Ehrenberg said.

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<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups2.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups2.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/justpups2.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Some of the puppies were left in crates without food or water, while others were too small for the dogs to stand in. (Paramus Police Department) (Paramus Police Department)

Once unlocked, the officers found numerous crates holding anywhere from two to four puppies each, all 67 of them alive.

"The temperature inside the van was 38 degrees Fahrenheit and the outside temperature was 35 degrees," said Ehrenberg.

In the van was an inefficient space heater and poor ventilation, according to NorthJersey.com. Some of the crates were too small for the dogs to stand up inside and didn’t contain any food or water.

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Police say the owner of the van was found to be Vincent LoSacco, owner of all four Just Pups locations. LoSacco’s East Brunswick location was closed only a week ago after 267 animal cruelty charges were filed against the pet store by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, according to the East Brunswick Patch.

The rescued puppies were taken to Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, where 15 needed additional medical treatment.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Animal Cruelty Task Force is investigating the situation, along with the Paramus Police and Health Department.

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