New Jersey teenager caught throwing cat off third-floor balcony

Woman charged after video shows moment cat was tossed onto the street

A New Jersey teenager was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after video emerged of her throwing a cat off a third-floor balcony.

19-year-old Tikeemah Lassiter was filmed wrapping a cat in a blanket and tossing the creature onto the street, in a video uploaded to Instagram.

The cat spins in the air before landing on South Orange Avenue in Newark, with audible cackling in the background from an onlooker.

Upon landing on the ground, the cat, which does not belong to Lassiter, moves its head slowly but cannot move its body.

The cat survived, while city police were alerted to the incident by a worried citizen and subsequently arrested Lassiter.

The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has possession of the cat and is assessing its health.