Runaway Cow That Leaped Off Truck on NJ Highway Gives Birth

What to Know

• A cow that wandered along a New Jersey highway for an hour after escaping a truck last week has given birth[hhmc]

• Police and state troopers spent an hour trying to corral the animal, dubbed Brianna, after it jumped out of a transport truck [hhmc]

• On Saturday, the cow gave birth to a female calf, Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue said[hhmc]

A cow that wandered along a New Jersey highway after escaping a truck last week has given birth, the animal sanctuary that took the bovine in said.

Police and state troopers spent an hour trying to corral the animal, dubbed Brianna, after she jumped out of a transport truck on Interstate 80 in Paterson on Thursday.

On Saturday, the cow gave birth to a female calf, Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue said.

“Brianna is now the proud mother of a beautiful baby girl named Winter,” the sanctuary said in a Facebook post.

Cow Caught Strolling Down NJ Highway

A 911 call captured the chaos as officers tried to corral Brianna last week.

"There is a big animal … a big animal," the caller begins.

"An animal?" the dispatcher asked. "Like a reindeer? I'm sorry … the deer?"

The caller mutters a bit, trying to find the words. Then the dispatcher helps out.

"A cow?"

"A cow … big!" the caller says. "Yeah … a cow … big."

State troopers and Paterson police swarmed the scene, including trooper Andre Almeida and his partner.

"Me and Kowalski held onto the cow as hard as we could but it was strong for the two of us," said Almedia.

"We had to get the cow off the interstate because if somebody hits it, that could've been worse than an accident. It could have been a fatality," he said.

Andi Jatmiko/AP

Wrestling and lassoing failing, the cow was finally subdued and held with a tow truck strap, to be escorted to a waiting Skylands sanctuary trailer.

The group took the female bovine to a vet and at the time said she had no broken bones, just a few cuts and scrapes.

"She will live the rest of her life in peace and harmony, and not be a steak," Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said.

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