A 21-year-old Alabama man has been arrested after police say he threw five kittens from a moving vehicle on a busy interstate, where all of the animals were killed.
The disturbing incident happened around 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, along I-65 in Homewood, Alabama, according to the Homewood Police Department.
Police said they received multiple reports from witnesses and motorists who claimed someone was throwing kittens out of a moving car.
Officers later located the vehicle and identified the driver as Thomas Ronald Liccione, 21, of Birmingham.
“Officers stopped the vehicle and detained the driver,” police said in a release.
Authorities said the outcome was heartbreaking.
“Tragically, all five of the kittens were struck and killed on the interstate by other vehicles,” the department said.
Following the investigation, Liccione was arrested on a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals. He was taken to the Jefferson County Jail and held on a $15,000 bond.
The Homewood Police Department thanked the witnesses who called 911 and helped officers respond to the scene.
“The Homewood Police Department takes animal abuse and cruelty calls very seriously,” authorities said. “We would like to sincerely thank the witnesses and motorists who contacted Homewood 911 and provided information to Homewood Police Officers on scene.”
The case has sparked outrage because of the horrific nature of the allegations and the helplessness of the animals involved.
Police have not released additional details about where the kittens came from or why they were allegedly thrown from the vehicle.
The Alabama case is not the first time authorities have reported a similar act of animal cruelty on a highway.
In 2022, a Florida man was charged with animal cruelty after allegedly throwing two kittens out of a car window while driving on U.S. 1. One kitten was killed after being hit by another vehicle, while the other survived with non-life-threatening injuries after being found and taken to an animal rescue.
In the Homewood case, none of the five kittens survived.
For animal lovers, the allegations are especially hard to stomach. What began as routine interstate traffic turned into a devastating scene after drivers reported seeing tiny kittens thrown into danger on the highway.
Liccione is now facing a criminal charge as police continue handling the case.
I think a just sentence would be to tie his feet together and drag him to the spot behind the vehicle,, to where the kittens were killed and dump him.!
What a POS, hope someone does the same to him