The Office of the Bronx District Attorney announced Tuesday, July 21, that following his arrest on Sunday, July 19, 55-year-old Luis Rojas Cabrera of Passaic, New Jersey was arraigned at Bronx Criminal Court at midnight on Monday, July 20.

 

As reported, he has been charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of profession after a 27-year-old woman was found unconscious at a wellness center on the border of the Kingsbridge and Riverdale sections of The Bronx on Sunday, July 19, and died.

 

According to one police source, the woman was a customer / patient of Bereshit Wellness Center, where she was found unconscious. The website for the center is www.drluisrojas.com.

 

The People did not request bail because the Assistant District Attorney wants to await autopsy findings, according to the Bronx DA’s office. He is due back in court in September. The People requested that he surrender his passport and the request was granted by the presiding judge.

 

According to the criminal complaint [in part] at around noon inside 3190 Riverdale Avenue, at Bereshit Lifestyle Center,  Rojas Cabrera recklessly engaged “in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person, under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life.”

 

The grounds for the charges are that police stated, based upon official investigation, the defendant’s statements, and witnesses known to the NYPD, that, at Bereshit Lifestyle Center on Sunday, July 19, Rojas Cabrera infused nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide aka NAD+ into the body of Elizabeth Baron by inserting an intravenous line into her right hand, without a medical license or any other legal authority to do
so.

 

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is indispensable for the regulation of biological metabolism. Previous studies have revealed its role in aging and degenerative diseases, while crucially showing that supplementation with NAD⁺ or its precursors could ameliorate or reverse the progression of aging.” According to verywellhealth.com, it is distinct from “Botox.”

 

 

The police also stated that administering nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide aka NAD+ via intravenous therapy in New York State requires a prescription from a licensed medical professional authorized to prescribe such treatment and the defendant did administer said  treatment without such treatment being ordered by a licensed medical professional.

Police said the Rojas Cabrera stated in sum and substance, “I gave her a NAD+IV. She went [unconscious] immediately. I called 911. I am a doctor in the Dominican Republic. 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.”

 

Police further stated that the defendant was unable to produce any legal authority to administer or prescribe the NAD+ via intravenous therapy and that he observed Elizabeth Baron inside a local hospital with an IV catheter in her right hand with IV tubing attached to it.

 

Police were informed by Dr. Eugene Kim that Elizabeth Baron was pronounced dead at 1:09 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, and said the defendant said in sum and substance, “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.”

 

Rojas Cabrera is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law. The Bereshit Lifestyle Center is currently closed.

 

As reported, a New York State department (DOS) spokesperson said on Monday, July 20, that in January of this year, it was announced that over 200 inspections conducted statewide of “Med Spa Service Providers” had resulted in suspensions, revocations, and fines. In the announcement, it was noted that improper services have caused serious injuries and added that a business that is promoting itself as a ‘med spa’ or offering ‘med spa’ services MUST be licensed as a medical facility and licensed professionals must be performing the services.

 

See below for more information on how to file complaints for anyone who has concerns regarding such spas:

• Know how to file complaints: Consumers need to file complaints with the appropriate authority.
  • Complaints against any physician or physician assistant: File a complaint with the Department of Health’s (DOH) Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) regarding any physician or physician assistant at 1-800-663-6114
  • Complaints against unlicensed med spa service providers:  File a complaint with the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions
  • Complaints against estheticians or cosmetologists performing med spa procedures: File a complaint online with the New York Department of State Division of Licensing Services  or  by calling (518) 474-4429.
  • Unlawful practice of medical procedures/Harm: In cases where an unlicensed practitioner has performed a procedure in violation of the law that has caused harm, consider contacting local law enforcement.

 

The Bereshit Lifestyle Center is not described as a spa on its website. It’s described by the website, Yelp, as among the top 10 naturopathic/holistic entities. Meanwhile, services offered at the center, according to its own website, drluisrojas.com, include a weight loss and detox program, a wellness kit, “RemedeMD,” hydrotherapy, geotherapy, aromatherapy, spinal stretching, urinalysis, saliva analysis, hair mineral analysis, genetic testing, and consultations, including video consultations.

 

The criminal complaint relating to Baron’s death makes no reference to “Botox.”

 

Meanwhile, for anyone who has concerns around anti-aging treatments/medications, the NYC Department of Health provides some information in this regard on their website here, as well as some additional resources for consumers on beauty salons and spas here.

 

Click here to read our original story on Baron’s death, including the feedback Norwood News has received to date from various City and State authorities.

 

Click here to read our prior story about an abortion clinic in the Morris Park section of The Bronx which closed in March 2024, with seemingly no explanation.

 

As reported, on Monday, July 20, a 35-year-old man was stabbed in the vicinity of the center and remains hospitalized in critical condition. It’s unknown if the two incidents are related. Police are investigating and said the mobilization point (for police) for the stabbing was at the address for the center at 3190 Riverdale Avenue but the stabbing occurred in its vicinity.