The video filmed a couple who saw them dumping a cage full of kittens in San Bernardino as temperatures reached triple digits.
On May 30, Elizabeth Romeri was driving with a friend when she spotted a man and a woman abandoning her cat near a remote property near East 40th Avenue.
“It’s not humanitarian,” Romeri told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson. “Imagine sitting in a place with no water or shade.”
Romeri recorded the incident on her cell phone. When the cat does not leave immediately, the female suspect is seen falling over a cage on its flank to drive the animal out.
Inside the cage was a kitten about six weeks old and an adult cat believed to be a mother.
Romeri and her friends decide to hand it over to the couple and confront them. The female suspect insisted that her local shelter would not accept cats, which urged her to abandon them. She also claimed that the cat was all the wanderings she had taken.
A man and woman saw him abandon a cage full of kittens on the remote San Bernardino land, as temperatures tripled on May 30, 2025. The suspect looked frustrated after facing abandoning the kitten in San Bernardino on May 30, 2025 (Elizabeth Romeri). Shirt) Regarding abandoning kitten cages in a remote area in San Bernardino on May 30, 2025. (Elizabeth Romeri) After abandoning a San Bernardino kitten on May 30, 2025, the female suspect drags through an empty cage. 2025. (Elizabeth Romeri) Two good Samaritans face a female suspect (red and grey shirt) over abandoning a kitten’s cage in a remote area of San Bernardino on May 30, 2025. (Elizabeth Romeri)
Romeri’s friend, Cossondora Villsenner, recorded the incident on her phone. At one point, the suspect became combative, leading to a passionate exchange.
“We called you about the cat and you’re mad,” Vilasenoa can be heard saying. “You guys came to abandon your cat. It’s hot. This isn’t humane at all!”
Romeri said that instead of abandoning the cat to the couple, they decided to take the cat with them.
“They didn’t want to give us a cage, so I had to run and get the box,” Romeri said.
When they went to retrieve the box from the car, the adult cat, believed to be the mother, fled the area. The suspect, who seemed annoyed, packed his cage and drove away.
Lomeli and Villasenor reported the incident on the San Bernardino City Animal Services. Out-of-state rescue shelters then accepted the kittens into their care.
However, the kitten’s mother remains missing. A cat from San Bernardino, a worker from another rescue group, was looking for a cat.
“We used drones and flyers to take a walk,” said Jaina Spagis, director of cats at San Bernardino. “We were able to find three friendly kittens and cats in the area while we were looking, so we believe someone else has abandoned the cat here or the couple has abandoned the other cats in the area.”
Chris Watson, director of the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter, reminds the public that abandoning animals in public places is a criminal act.
“This is an illegal abandonment of animals,” Watson said. “It’s illegal to abandon livestock, cats and dogs. You could face prison time, high fines and probation.”
San Bernardino police told KTLA it has launched a criminal investigation into the case.
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