NJ man sexually abused, tortured cat before killing it, cops say

🔴 An Asbury Park man killed his own cat, according to prosecutors

🔴 Authorities said the animal was sexually abused and tortured

🔴 The Monmouth County SPCA has a hotline to report suspected animal cruelty

ASBURY PARK — An 18-year-old Monmouth County man horrifically abused his own pet cat and ended its life, according to authorities.

Bani Mezquititla, of Asbury Park, was arrested on Thursday. He is charged with two counts of third-degree animal cruelty. One charge is for cruelty resulting in death, the other for the use of an animal in a sexual manner.

According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago, a "concerned citizen" brought a dead cat to Asbury Park police headquarters on Thursday. The cat belonged to Mezquititla and had suffered greatly before its death.

Police, working with the county SPCA, found that Mezquititla sexually abused the animal. The sex acts left it seriously injured.

Mezquititla then restrained his cat and tortured it, according to Santiago. The torture eventually killed the cat.

Authorities arrested Mezquititla later on Thursday. He is being held at Monmouth County jail pending a detention hearing on Wednesday.

Santiago said the charges against Mezquititla could carry up to five years in state prison if he is convicted. No defense attorney information for the man was immediately available.

Monmouth County residents who want to report suspected animal cruelty can contact the county SPCA hotline at 877-898-7297. More information is available on the organization's website here.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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