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'Monster' Wild Turkey Trashes N.J. Home, Causes $6,000 In Damage

KINNELON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Having your house trashed by friends or family is no fun, but it's especially bad when done by an intruder.

But imagine if the intruder has wings.

In one rural part of New Jersey, residents have occasional problems with bears and deer, but a wild turkey breaking into a house?

"Violated, I felt violated, frightened. I'm still frightened," Marie Manco told CBS 2's John Slattery on Thursday.

Manco, who is a teacher and a grandmother, said she was home alone when she came face to face with a Tom turkey in her living room.

The winged intruder made its entry by crashing through a second-story window.

Manco ran out of the house and called 911.

Manco told the dispatcher, "A wild turkey came through my skylight and it's flying around my house right now destroying everything," adding "I'm in my bedroom, but I'm afraid to come out."

Responding police found a mess inside.

"Feces, broken glass, feathers all over the place, it was a disaster," Officer Mark Ehrenburg said.

The bird made its exit by going through another window. CBS 2 shot pictures of turkeys not far from the house. Police took pictures of a half-dozen others. Why would a big Tom fly into a window? Police said it likely saw his reflection and thought it was another male.

"It's mating season for turkeys and we're attributing the aggression to that," Lt. John Schwartz said.

Police have a description of the suspect.

"It was about this tall," Manco said, revealing it was as tall as she is. "It was big."

"The head reached up to my hip. One of the biggest turkeys I've ever seen," Ehrenburg said.

"Very broad wing span, and obviously powerful," Manco added.

It turned out to be a very different sort of "fowl" play. And the perpetrator has not been apprehended.

Damage to the home was estimated at $6,000, and the home owner said she's having trouble with her insurance company getting it to pay for the damage.

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