Man Tortured, Killed Stray Cats In Atlantic City: Prosecutor

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — An Atlantic City man is accused of luring stray cats in his neighborhood to his house to torture, beat and kill them, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

Edwin Sanabia, 26, is charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty, officials said.

A police officer who is also a trained humane law enforcement officer investigated reports from residents of the "cruel torture and killing of cats" in Sanabia's neighborhood, authorities said.

Sanabia would lure abandoned and stray cats to his home with food, according to the investigation. He then would torture, beat and kill the cats, officials said.

Sanabia disposed of the cats by tossing the bodies into a nearby dumpster, authorities said.

He is also charged with other acts of animal cruelty by allegedly punching, hitting and dragging other cats by their tail. Additionally, Sanabia is accused of beating several cats with sticks while they were hiding in a makeshift shelter on a neighbor's property.

The prosecutor's office thanked Atlantic City police and the residents who reported the animal cruelty offenses.

"We encourage our residents to report animal abuse and neglect to their local police departments," the prosecutor's office said.