The dog rescued by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, right, is pictured in a photo provided by the Humane Society, left. (Humane Society of Newark; Paul Sakluma/AP)

Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker personally intervened Thursday evening to help rescue a female pit bull that a neighbor said was locked in a crate for four days.

Booker, currently running for the U.S. Senate, was heralded as a hero last year after he helped a neighbor out of her burning home. The popular Garden State Democrat swooped into action again Thursday after reading a tweet from @shankdog3000.

"@CoryBooker Is there anyone in Newark NJ who can stop the torture of a dog? There is a dog who is locked in a small crate on a vacant lot," the user tweeted.

"Where? I'll go investigate now," Booker responded. The resident provided an address. Booker arrived at the scene and reported to his 1.3 million Twitter followers that the dog was "in rough shape" and "in a tiny cage."

Scott Crawford of the Humane Society told U.S. News that Booker called for assistance after scoping out the scene himself.

The dog snapped at rescuers and a "snare pull" was used to safely extract the animal from its cage.

Crawford said the dog is "bouncing off the walls" at the Humane Society's Newark shelter and is "a little scary right now," but expressed hope that its behavior would improve. He speculated that mistreatment in the past might have caused the dog's poor temperament.

Stray and rescued animals only receive names seven days after being taken in by the Humane Society, Crawford said, per a New Jersey law requiring a one week window before shelters assume ownership of the animals.

It's not yet clear if the dog will be offered for adoption. "She's very aggressive right now. We're going to see how she comes around," Crawford said.

Booker will likely be the Democratic candidate in the October 16 special election to replace Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died June 3 at age 89. Booker is currently the front-runner for the Democratic nomination and polls suggest he will likely win the general election.