An unlicensed doctor accused of causing a patient’s death after injecting her with a popular anti-aging treatment over the summer has been charged with murder, the NYPD announced Tuesday.
Luis Rojas Cabrera, 55, the operator of an unlicensed Bronx spa, was charged with depraved-indifference murder after the city medical examiner ruled in late September that the death of his patient, 27-year-old Elizabeth Baron, was a homicide, police said.
Baron, who lived in the Bronx, allegedly died after Rojas Cabrera mistakenly injected air into her during an NAD+ treatment at his Bereshit Lifestyle Center on July 19.
She went into cardiac arrest immediately after the injection. According to court documents, Rojas Cabrera told a police officer, “I made a very big mistake.”
The Riverdale wellness center advertised “natural medicine,” various therapies and products designed to make “healthy living easy,” according to its website.
Rojas Cabrera had initially been charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession while prosecutors awaited autopsy findings to determine whether the injection directly caused Baron’s death.
“Administering NAD+ via an IV requires a prescription from a medical professional,” Assistant District Attorney Ethan Reisbaum said during Rojas Cabrera’s initial arraignment in July. He pleaded not guilty.
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Because the initial charges were not eligible for bail, Rojas Cabrera remained free after that court appearance.
In comments to The Post last month, Rojas Cabrera disputed that the injection caused the air found in Baron’s heart, arguing instead that it resulted from the manual CPR he performed.
He said he stopped the IV after Baron went into cardiac arrest and began performing CPR. Medics who arrived at the scene later used mechanical CPR, he said.
“When I investigated with other doctors, they told me it was a possibility,” he said. “The prolonged CPR can produce air in the heart chambers.”
Rojas Cabrera also suggested that underlying health problems may have contributed to Baron’s death. The medical examiner, however, determined that she died from a cardiac air embolism and reported no underlying conditions.
NAD+ is a molecule promoted in alternative-health circles and among celebrities for its purported anti-aging benefits.
Models Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber have publicly said they use the treatment, helping drive interest in the controversial wellness trend.
