Police have arrested 21-year-old Alec Litzinger, a homeless man, accusing him of stuffing a dog in a suitcase and dumping the suitcase in a Lower East Side dumpster.
Litzinger has been charged with felony animal abuse in connection with the incident. The male pit bull was discovered in the dumpster on Gouverneur Slip East (behind the Valdeck Houses) on Oct. 19. The starving dog was in the suitcase for two days, but survived. The arrest was first reported by the Daily News.
Another man, 22-year-old Bryan Lepe, was seen on surveillance video leaving 645 Water St. with a suitcase on Oct. 19. Police said last week they were looking for both men.
UPDATE 2 p.m. More details from DNA Info. Litzinger reportedly told prosecutors that he was afraid to take the dog, named Diego, to the vet because he feared animal cruelty charges would be filed against him. Litzinger was recently evicted from his Water Street apartment. He was arrested on Oct. 27, while cops continue to search for Lepe. And then there’s this: “The dog’s coat was stained by prolonged contact with urine and feces, his whiskers were singed at the ends due to exposure to extreme heat, and he had sustained some injuries to his paws as well as scabs on his ears most likely from fly bites…”
