A 79-year-old woman is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges for allegedly setting a cat on fire in Pompano Beach, South Florida. It’s reported that Elgathe Celestin — who’s currently in police custody — held the feline inside a raccoon trap before burning them alive.
Woman reportedly set cat on fire in Pompano Beach, Florida
On Tuesday, Mar. 12, shortly after 12:22 p.m., deputies with the Broward Sheriff’s Office together with the Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded to Celestin’s home after receiving reports of a cat on fire, as per NBC6 News.
Upon arrival, they found the poor cat trapped in a raccoon trap in Celestin’s backyard. After extinguishing the flames, rescuers transported the injured feline to Hollywood Animal Hospital for emergency treatment. Unfortunately, veterinarians couldn’t save the cat, and therefore, had to euthanize them.
According to CBS News, a neighbor of Celestin witnessed the horrifying incident and called 911. The man, whose identity hasn’t been disclosed to the public, saw smoke emanating from the accused’s backyard. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.
“There was a cat inside of a trap and she was burning the cat alive,” the man shared. “I noticed the cat was moving, I thought it was dead. Then, she stoked the fire and the cat started moving around again,” he added.
Another horrified neighbor, who wished to stay anonymous, described the crime scene as a “murder scene.” In their words, “It’s like a murder scene. You would think somebody got murdered. There were cops and the fire department, and they were here for hours.”
Residents of Pompano Beach are trying to wrap their heads around Celestin’s disturbing actions. Kristina Mejia is among those still shaken by the incident. Mejia revealed she heard strange, distressing noises coming from Celestin’s residence the night before she set the cat ablaze.
“I was walking down the street, and I was right over here near those houses, and I heard a loud cry,” Mejia narrated. “It sounded like what I thought was a baby — an infant crying — come to find out — I think it was cats,” she further shared.
