Asbury Park Man Accused Of Sex Crimes Against Cat, Torturing Animal

ASBURY PARK, NJ — The same week an Asbury Park man was indicted on an accusation he beat his girlfriend's miniature Poodle to death, a second Asbury Park man has been charged with sexually abusing, torturing and killing a cat, in an unrelated incident.

The arrest of Bani J. Mezquititla, 18, was announced Friday by Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago.

He is charged with one count of animal cruelty by tormenting, torturing or cruelly abusing a living animal, resulting in its death, and one count of using a creature in any kind of sexual manner, both third-degree crimes.

The cat was his pet.

On Thursday, March 2 a concerned citizen brought the body of a dead cat to Asbury Park Police headquarters.

Mezquititla is alleged to have first performed sexual acts on the animal, seriously injuring it. He is also alleged to have later restrained and tortured the cat, resulting in its death.

Mezquititla was located and arrested later that same day. He was taken to the Monmouth County Jail pending his first court hearing, scheduled for March 8 in Monmouth County Superior Court.

Anyone with information about this matter is urged to contact Asbury Park Police Detective Anthony Houlis at 732-502-4582, SPCA Chief of Humane Law Enforcement Michael Goldfarb at 732-542-0040, or SPCA Lt. Michael Magliozzo at 732-440-4538.

Unrelated: Asbury Park Man Indicted On Charges He Killed Girlfriend's Poodle (March 3)