Alligator found abandoned in plastic container in Monmouth County, New Jersey

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Authorities in New Jersey are trying to find out who's responsible for abandoning an alligator in Neptune Township. 

The Monmouth County SPCA said the gator was found in a plastic container in an empty lot on Bangs Avenue. 

Animal control responded quickly after a good Samaritan made the discovery and called it in, they said. 

The alligator was taken to the animal shelter and given a clean tank in a climate-controlled area. 

The gator was expected to be transferred to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.