The homeless man police say stuffed his emaciated pit bull in a suitcase and threw him out with the trash in Lower Manhattan said he did it because he thought he’d be arrested if he took the dog to the vet, prosecutors said.
Diego the pit bull was so malnourished and badly cared for that he needs a special diet to keep from getting sicker, according to a criminal complaint against his owner, Alec Litzinger.
Litzinger, 21, was evicted from his Water St. apartment near the Brooklyn Bridge, on Oct. 19 — the same day he and an accomplice threw Diego into a dumpster, the complaint alleges.
Litzinger left his apartment a wreck, prosecutors said. When the property manager checked it after the eviction, “the odor of urine and feces inside the apartment was so strong that a disaster company had to come in to clean it out and … the apartment is still unlivable even after the cleaning,” the complaint states.
A carting worker found Diego that night, on Gouverneur Slip near South St., behind the Vladeck Houses, after spotting his head peeking out of the suitcase, authorities said.
Litzinger told police he’d found the dog in his closet, and he threw Diego away “because he was afraid he would be arrested if he were to take the dog to a vet to be treated,” the complaint said.
An ASPCA vet chronicled a host of health problems — Diego’s coat was stained and had a foul odor from prolonged contact with urine and feces.
His paw pads were peeling, and he had a recent cut on one paw. His ears were scabbed, inflamed and fly-bitten, and the whiskers on his face were short and singed from extreme heat.
He’s still getting treatment at an ASPCA hospital, spokeswoman Natasha Whitling said Tuesday.
Litzinger remains held on $4,000 bond or $2,000 cash, after police arrested him Thursday on felony criminal mischief and animal cruelty charges. He’s due back in Manhattan criminal court Wednesday.
His alleged accomplice, Bryan Lepe, 22, remains at large.
