Deptford Township has lost one of its most famous residents — he just happens to be a turkey.
Fred the Turkey — known for hanging out at DHY Motorsports on Clements Bridge Road and attacking cars — died Wednesday after he, in one of life’s great ironies, was struck by a car.
He was hit near the intersection of Clements Bridge Road and Caufield Avenue, Deptford Police Sgt. Robert Jones told NJ.com. He was removed and buried on a nearby property by a homeowner.
“Truth be told, Fred was a bit of a handful,” Jones wrote on the department’s Facebook page in a tribute to Fred. “We probably received 100-plus calls about him. But, he was our handful and we loved him. Fred’s patrolling the big intersection in the sky now.”
One of the department’s officers even wrote a country-style song to memorialize Fred in the Facebook post.
“Yeah, it’s quiet now on that road, no more strut, no more feathers show, kinda weird not taking that call, Fred had a way of stopping us all,” is one of the more sentimental lines from the song.
“Deptford ain’t Deptford without you,” the chorus states.
A memorial service is being planned for 6 p.m. Friday at DHY Motorsports.
In April 2025, Fred was named Deptford Township’s Citizen of the Month.
“Fred (also known as Tom), a resident of Caulfield Ave., is a local celebrity who both delights and annoys motorists in the vicinity of Caulfield & Clements Bridge Road,” the town wrote last year. “His recent notoriety has earned him recognition from Mayor & Council.”
Birds have been a topic of discussion around town in recent weeks.