Westbury Man Accused Of 66 Animal Cruelty Counts After House Fire Leads To Chicken Discovery: Police

WESTBURY, NY — A Westbury man was arrested on charges related to torturing or injuring animals, police said.

Police responded to Mist Lane for a house fire on July 28 at 10 a.m., and were met with an active kitchen fire, which the East Meadow Fire Department extinguished, Nassau County police said.

Upon investigation, officers found multiple crates containing chickens in the backyard and contacted Humane Long Island, which safely removed them, police said.

Nassau County SCPCA, NCPD Arson Bomb Squad, and Nassau County Fire Marshal all responded to the scene, police said.

Victor Xu, 44, was placed under arrest and charged with 66 counts of torturing or injuring Animals/failure to provide sustenance, according to police.

He was issued an appearance ticket returnable on Monday, August 10 at First District Court in Hempstead, police said.