The first time Betta was caught in the act of breaking the law was in 2014, when a New Jersey state trooper spotted a big, brown, feathered fish swimming in the Hudson River.
Betty and the fish’s mother were eventually arrested for violating New Jersey’s aquatic life and wild animal laws.
In that case, the trooper, John Vigdor, said he had caught the fish while on duty at a restaurant and took him to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
Betta had been swimming along a bridge over the Hudson for several hours, Vigder said.
After spotting the fish, Vogdor took him back to his boat, where he placed the fish in a tank to keep him from escaping.
Vigdor said he was not sure how the fish got into the tank but said the fish seemed to be very territorial and was not feeding at all.
He said Betta then began chasing him with its claws, biting him and attempting to bite his legs.
Afterward, Vigord said, he tried to lure Betta to the edge of a bridge to keep it away from him, but the fish simply ran away.
Vigord took Betta back to the boat and watched it swim away before placing it back in the tank.
The next day, VIGD took a picture of the fish and sent it to a local news station.
The report reported that Vigd’s fish caught in Jersey was the first of its kind in the United States.