Update: Ricardo the Newark bull makes it to Sussex County sanctuary

Holy cow, there is a bull on the train tracks!

A bull, now known as Ricardo, caused delays of NJ Transit trains on Thursday morning as he ran through the streets of Newark and onto the tracks at Newark Penn Station.

Police responded at about 10:46 a.m. to Frelinghuysen Avenue near Victoria Street after receiving a call that a bull was spotted on the loose behind a building, said Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage.

Around 11 a.m., NJ Transit posted on X (formerly Twitter) an announcement saying "NJ TRANSIT rail service is subject to up to 45-minute delays between Newark Penn and PSNY, due to Police activity near Newark Penn Station. NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored by PATH and Hoboken, Newark Penn and 33rd Street New York."

This announcement was followed by a photo of a bull hanging out on the train tracks.

Members of Newark Police Emergency Services and the Port Authority Police Department found the animal and have since contained it inside a fenced lot.

NJ Transit posted an update on its website saying "NJ Transit rail service is operating on or close to schedule with residual delays to trains already enroute between Newark Penn Station and Penn Station New York, following earlier police activity near Newark Penn Station."

No injuries have been reported.

At around 12:30 p.m. the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage posted on their Facebook that they were on their way to rescue Ricardo from Newark. He has since been safely brought to the sanctuary.

They posted a photo of Ricardo on their Facebook page at around 2:30 p.m. saying, "Safe, but heavily sedated. I hope he's alright. He is moving around but has not gotten up yet. His name is Ricardo. Thank you all for the literally hundreds of calls to try and alert me to his situation."

Tons of people have sent their positive reactions to the sanctuary, commenting on their post to thank them for rescuing Ricardo, saying that they feel better knowing that he is now safe and in good hands.

Story continues after gallery

Social media users were also quick to react to NJ Transit's initial post, which collected 1,500 comments in the first hour and a half.

One X user said, "Wow, I know I've gained a few winter pounds but please respect my privacy as I take transit."

"Steer clear of the closing doors please," said another.

Gov. Phil Murphy posted, "I’ve always been bullish on Jersey’s future, but this is just a step too far folks."

Another user posted a gif of Red Bull Arena saying, "You made a wrong turn buddy, you're so close to your home though. Just go down the tracks a little more then down the stairs and make a left."

As it turns out, this was not the first time a bull ran loose through the streets of Newark.

In 2006, according to an NBC News report, a bull was chased for 10 hours through the streets of Newark until Denton Infield, an urban cowboy from South Africa, captured the 600-pound bull, which has since gone to Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey to live out the rest of its life. That bull was assumed to have escaped a slaughterhouse or a truck that was headed to a slaughterhouse.

In 2004, a steer escaped from a slaughterhouse, also ended up in Newark and eventually went to a farm sanctuary, NBC's report said.

Where the bull on Thursday came from and how it got loose in Newark is not known at this time.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bull causes NJ Transit train delays at Newark Penn Station