NEW YORK CITY -- A cow that escaped from a Queens slaughterhouse Thursday -- a day before it was set to be killed -- is headed to a Sussex County animal sanctuary.

Pompton Lakes resident Mike Stura told The Daily News he waited outside Archer Halal Live Poultry overnight and convinced its owner to give him the cow after hearing about the animal's brush with freedom.

Stura, of the Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, named the escaped cow Freddie, after the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury, the newspaper's report said.

The runaway cow led New York City police on a chase down Jamaica Avenue before being captured in a parking garage, according to DNAInfo.com. Workers told the news website they were planning to kill Freddie Friday until Stura stepped in.

"Say hello to Freddie...," the Skylands Animal Sanctuary said in a Facebook post Friday. "On our way to the vet to get checked out...."

According to its website, the sanctuary offers lifelong homes to cows, pigs, turkeys, goats and other animals.

Yes, you heard right! Cow on the loose-Jamaica Queens.All Officers safe.No injuries.Thank you all for your patience. pic.twitter.com/A1kGV85fUP — NYPD 103rd Precinct (@NYPD103Pct) January 21, 2016

Say hello to Freddie...On our way to the vet to get checked out.... Posted by Skylands Animal Sanctuary And Rescue on Friday, January 22, 2016

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.