A 29-year-old Florida man was charged with animal cruelty after police say he tossed 2 kittens out a car while driving on the highway

• A Florida man is facing animal cruelty charges, authorities said. 
• Diego Torres, 29, is accused of throwing two kittens out of his car while driving on the highway.
• One kitten survived, and the other was found dead. 

A Florida man is facing misdemeanor and felony charges for allegedly throwing two kittens out the window while driving on the highway, police said Thursday. 

Diego Torres Ruiz, 29, is facing animal cruelty charges in connection to the incident, which took place on November 28, according to The Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said they received a report from a witness who saw the kittens "tumble" out of a vehicle on a highway in Monroe County. It caused havoc on the highways as drivers tried to avoid striking the baby cats. 

Per officials, the witness provided them with the tag number and the car description, a Hyundai Santa Fe.  In addition, they described and later identified the suspect behind the wheel. 

Ruiz was later questioned by authorities and "denied knowing anything about the kittens," the sheriff's office said, adding that the search for the animals continued. 

 

Deputies discovered one kitten to be dead after it was hit by a car, and the other was found in the woods with non-deadly injuries, The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said. 

The kitten was taken to a local rescue, Whiskers & Paws, and was later adopted by the witness, according to authorities. 

"I take these incidents very seriously and I'm happy to report an arrest was made in this case," Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement.

Ruiz is facing one misdemeanor and one felony charge, per Yahoo News. He faces up to 1 year of jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted on the misdemeanor animal cruelty charge; he faces up to 5 years of prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the felony, per Florida law.