On the night of Sept. 3, police in Manchester Township, New Jersey, found a dog dead in the driveway of a home on Norwalk Avenue. The township’s humane law enforcement officer determined the dog had been left inside a vehicle for an “extended period of time” in warm weather, according to Manchester police as reported by the Asbury Park Press. A 67-year-old local man now faces one count of animal cruelty and has been summoned to appear in court.

A parked car can turn deadly fast on a warm day. A dog trapped inside can’t open a window, can’t cool down, and can’t escape. Deaths like this one are preventable, and they deserve to be taken seriously at every step.

Prosecutors in Ocean County should give this case the full attention it deserves and pursue the charge as far as the law allows. A case like this ending with nothing more than a fine would send the wrong message to every pet owner in the state.

Lawmakers have a role too. New Jersey has no law written specifically for animals left in hot vehicles. Instead, these cases fall under the state’s general animal cruelty rules. The New Jersey Legislature should pass a clear hot car law that sets tougher penalties for leaving an animal in a dangerous vehicle and protects people who act in good faith to rescue an animal in distress.

This dog can’t be brought back. The next one can still be saved.

Sign the petition to demand justice for this dog and push New Jersey to pass a hot car law before another summer brings another preventable death.