An unlicensed New York doctor was arrested after a 27-year-old woman died. He gave her an anti-aging serum injection at a Bronx wellness center called Bereshit Lifestyle Center. The deceased, identified as Elizabeth Baron, died after getting the intravenous injection. Paramedics took her to New York Presbyterian Allen Hospital.

There, doctors pronounced her dead at 1:10 p.m. local time. Luis Rojas Cabrera administered an NAD+, or Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, injection to Baron that caused her to lose consciousness. She suffered a cardiac arrest, ultimately leading to her death. She got the same treatment that popular celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner have gotten to maintain a youthful glow.

 

The doctor called 911 when he saw that Baron was not responding. He was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession. Later, he told the police, “I made a very big mistake. I need to call my family because I have a feeling I will not be home for a while.”

Cabrera is a physician’s assistant licensed in Puerto Rico and only a licensed aesthetician in New York. So he did not have the right qualifications and certification to practice in the U.S. He also told the officer his medical license application in the country was pending.

Meanwhile, his website claims he is board-certified in holistic health and alternative medicine and that he is from a family of medical professionals in the Dominican Republic. The bio reads, “It gives me great pleasure to help individuals gain improvement in their health condition and lifestyle through natural methods and simple therapies.”


Assistant District Attorney Ethan Reisbaum said in court, “The defendant does not have a license to practice medicine in New York State and has no legal authority to administer NAD+ via an IV. Furthermore, administering NAD+ via an IV requires a prescription from a medical professional.”

His son, Luis Rojas Cabrera Jr., noted, “He’s a good man, a good father and a good doctor – that’s why I’m so shocked about this. But this isn’t the first time the illegal doctor has been caught in a crime. The would-be doctor has two previous arrests when he tried to bring over 200 prescription medicine vials, 30 tablets, and 10 syringes of lidocaine to the U.S.

Cabrera was released without bail and is set to appear in court again on September 9. He might face serious charges and get a long prison sentence after the city Medical Examiner’s autopsy, which has been scheduled for Tuesday. The case is currently being investigated by the homicide bureau of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.