An unlicensed doctor who injected a Bronx woman during a treatment that purports to reverse aging on Sunday told police he “made a very big mistake” after she was pronounced dead, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Luis Rojas Cabrera gave 27-year-old Elizabeth Baron an intravenous infusion of a chemical known as NAD+ at the Bereshit Lifestyle Center in Kingsbridge around noon on July 19, the complaint states. Cabrera is listed as the founder and owner of the holistic medicine clinic on its website.
Cabrera allegedly told police Baron went unconscious "immediately" after he hooked up the IV into her right hand. He then said he called 911 and told police he does not have a license to practice in New York, according to a transcript included in the complaint.
“I am a doctor in the Dominican Republic,” the complaint quotes Cabrera saying. “I have a PA license in Puerto Rico. I am not a licensed doctor in New York. My application is pending. I only have an esthetician license.”
First responders took Baron to New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where doctors tried to treat her, according to the complaint. She was pronounced dead just after 1 p.m. Sunday.
Shortly after that, the complaint states, Cabrera told 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 and his lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment on Tuesday morning. Baron’s family did not answer multiple phone calls. She lived less than two miles from the clinic, according to police.
Cabrera, 55, was charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession. He went before a Bronx judge around midnight Tuesday and was released pending the results of an autopsy and also ordered him to surrender his passport, according to the district attorney’s office.
Cabrera calls himself “Dr. Rojas” on the Bereshit Lifestyle Center’s website, and says he has performed over 6,000 surgeries, including for the thyroid, abdominal, bariatric, oncology head and neck. He lists himself as the holistic clinic’s founder, and writes that he is currently an “active surgeon and naturopath in the Dominican Republic and an alternative and holistic medicine practitioner in the United States.”
“It gives me great pleasure to help individuals gain improvement in their health condition and lifestyle through natural methods and simple therapies,” he writes.
The criminal complaint accuses Cabrera of administering Baron’s NAD+ treatment without the required prescription from a licensed medical professional in New York state.
NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a molecule found in every cell that regulates energy production, DNA repair, and cellular metabolism and is used in some anti-aging treatments despite limited studies on its safety and effectiveness.
The clinic remained shuttered on Tuesday, with a sign in the window that said “closed, come back soon.” Cabrera’s name was on the glass door.
Local resident Lisa Nguyen walked by and said she was surprised to hear about the allegations. She said she visited the clinic several years ago for a facial and was treated by a female aesthetician, not Cabrera.
“It was clean inside, I would have never suspected anything,” she said.
This story has been updated with new information.
