An Atlantic City man was indicted by a grand jury after authorities alleged he tortured and killed multiple stray cats in his neighborhood.

Twenty-six-year-old Edwin Sanabia was indicted on multiple counts of animal cruelty on Tuesday, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

The investigation began after complaints from residents. An Atlantic City police officer who is also a trained Humane Law Enforcement Officer investigated the case.

The officer learned Sanabia would lure abandoned and stray cats from his neighborhood into his home with food. Sanabia would then torture and kill the cats before throwing their bodies into a dumpster, ACPO said.

Sanabia also allegedly dragged other cats by their tails and beat others with sticks while they were in a makeshift shelter on a neighbor's property.

ACPO thanked the citizens who reported the offenses and encouraged other residents to report cases of animal abuse and neglect to local police.

Sanabia was initially charged in July before the case was handed to a grand jury. When the initial charges came out, PETA responded by running an advertisement warning pet owners to keep their cats safe by keeping them indoors.

"Cats left to fend for themselves outdoors are at constant risk of being harmed in heartbreaking and horrific ways," PETA said in a news release. The organization encouraged letting cats outdoors only in an enclosed environment like a "catio".

The organization In Defense of Animals urged prosecutors to push for the maximum possible sentence if Sanabia were to be found guilty.