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The animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) mounted a billboard at the intersection on Thursday, which advertises a reward of up to $22,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) responsible for killing 25 cats and hanging them off a tree at 14 Overlook Terrace.
The total, which is displayed in large yellow font next to a picture of a forlorn kitten behind bars, includes donations from PETA and other organizations. Daily Voice counted the total rewards offered to be $23,250 on April 29.
In a press release, PETA officials said the billboard, "might be the only way to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act and stop them from killing again."
Additionally, PETA advised that animals should never be permitted outside unattended.
"Animal abusers are often repeat offenders who often go on to commit acts of violence against humans, another reason why these cat killings should be a cause for alarm for the entire community," stated PETA Director Martin Mersereau. "Whoever committed these crimes must be taken off the streets, and the size of the reward could mean that that will happen."
The cats were discovered by Yonkers DPW workers on April 24, hanging from garbage bags mere yards from a residential complex.
Necropsies on some of the bodies indicated that the cats and kittens had been deliberately killed using blunt force trauma at separate times over the span of at least a year.
The SPCA launched an investigation in conjunction with Yonkers police, who have yet to apprehend any suspects.
“Both the SPCA of Westchester and the Yonkers Police Department are highly motivated to find those who are responsible for this heinous act," said Ernie Lungaro, director of the SPCA’s HLE Unit in a previous interview.
Anyone with information on the cats is asked to call the SPCA's Animal Cruelty Hotline at 914-941-7797.
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