Gay Men Say They Feel Lucky To Be Alive After Being Drugged, Robbed
More gay men in NYC are coming forward to share stories disturbingly similar to those of two gay men who were drugged, killed, and had their bank accounts emptied after a night out drinking earlier this year.John Umberger, 33, of Washington D.C., was drugged, robbed, and killed after a night visiting gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen on May 28.
He was last seen with a group of men exiting a taxi and his body was found on June 1. Brooklyn social worker Julio Ramirez, 25, was found dead in the back of a taxi after he was drugged and robbed in the area on April 21.
At least a dozen more have also reported being drugged and robbed by a group of men suspected of preying on gay men. Some survivors who spoke with NBC News said they feel lucky to be alive.Josh Pederson, 55, told the outlet how he was robbed after going to a party in Tribeca in 2018, blacking out while waiting for a taxi and then waking up in the back of a car with someone shaking him violently and saying “What’s the PIN number?
What’s the PIN number? If you just give us the PIN number, we’ll take you home.”His next memories were of being dropped off at his apartment building and waking up the following morning with a bruised and bloodied face.
