What to Know
- 14-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the beating death of a 60-year-old man on Christmas Eve in a violent robbery attempt caught on camera over $1, police say
- The arrest is the third in connection to the brutal case
- A 60-year-old man, identified by police as Juan Fresnada was leaving a Bronx McDonald’s Dec. 24, 2019 with his partner when a group of men attacked – and no one intervened to help -- the NYPD said
A 14-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the beating death of a 60-year-old man on Christmas Eve in a violent robbery attempt over $1, police said Saturday.
The 60-year-old man, identified by police as Juan Fresnada, of the Bronx, was leaving a Bronx McDonald’s Dec. 24, 2019 with his partner when a group of men attacked – and no one intervened to help -- the NYPD said.
The 14-year-old, who was arrested Friday, was charged with murder and various counts of gang assault, according to the NYPD.
The arrest is the third in connection to the brutal case. Police had already arrested a 15- and 18-year-old in the case.
Family friends said Fresnada was known as Cuba. Neither Cuba nor his partner speak much English, and tried to get away, but were chased during the violent incident.
“The guys just told them ‘Give me the money, give me the money.’ He was like ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” the couple’s friend Tony previously told NBC New York. He thinks they were targeted for money, even though the robbers only getting away with $1.
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Video shows the attack continue, as Cuba is punched and kicked repeatedly and eventually left motionless in the middle of East 165th Street and Third Avenue.
Tony said that Cuba told his partner to run, and grabbed a trash can to potentially use as a weapon to scare the attackers away. The partner was able to get away, but Cuba ended up in critical condition. He remained hooked up to a ventilator, not responsive, on Friday, Tony said.
Almost as stunning as the attack was the lack of response from anyone who passed by on the busy street. Multiple people, cars and even an MTA bus drove by his body, and not one stopped to check on the man lying in the street.
Eventually Cuba’s partner was able to run back to him and get help.
Cuba was initially taken to Lincoln Hospital in critical but stable condition where he died days later on Dec. 27, 2019, police said.
“It’s just sad that someone would do someone so drastic to someone,” Tony said. “For a dollar! It’s very sad.”
