HELL’S KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) — Police have arrested a man accused of drugging and robbing multiple victims in Manhattan.
Jacob Barroso was charged with murder, three counts of robbery, identity theft, and other related charges, officials say.
A new clue was released last in the search for three men police believed were responsible for these crimes, two of which were deadly.
The NYPD released new photos of the men they are looking for.
Investigators say there have been 17 cases so far around New York City that may be connected.
The 2022 deaths of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez were ruled homicides after they were given drugs tainted with fentanyl.
Ramirez, 25, was found dead in the back of a taxi and his bank accounts were drained after a night out at Ritz Bar and Lounge in Hell’s Kitchen.
Umberger, 33, was found dead inside the East 61st Street apartment where he had been staying since he arrived in New York on business.
Umberger’s mother, Linda Cleary, told ABC’s Nightline that she knew something was wrong when she didn’t hear from her son after Memorial Day weekend.
Officials say that they do not know the whereabouts of Barroso, though he has been arrested.
“People have been hurt, people are scared and afraid, this has gone on too long, it is clear to me from people who have reached out to me this has gone on since 2019,” Bamberger’s mother Linda Cleary said.
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