Bronx Woman, 27, Dies After Anti-Aging Injection From Doctor Not Licensed in the U.S.

A 27-year-old woman is dead after getting an anti-aging injection at a Bronx wellness center from a man who had no license to practice medicine anywhere in the United States.

Elizabeth Baron went to the Bereshit Lifestyle Center on Riverdale Avenue near West 232nd Street on Sunday, July 19. She received what's been described as an anti-aging serum injection. Shortly after, she became unresponsive, according to police and reporting from the New York Post and ABC7 New York.

Staff at the center called for help. Baron was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 1:10 p.m.

Later that day, police arrested Luis Rojas Cabrera and charged him with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession. Sources differ slightly on his age, with the New York Post and most outlets citing 55, while leadership.ng reported 60. Every source agrees on the core fact: Cabrera holds a medical license in the Dominican Republic, not in the U.S.

What Cabrera Claimed to Be

On the Bereshit Lifestyle Center's website, Cabrera describes himself as an "M.D., Surgeon, Naturopath" who is board certified in holistic health and alternative medicine, according to the Times of India. He claimed membership in several Dominican medical organizations and in the Hispanic Health Professionals Association of New York.

The site also states he's an active surgeon and naturopath in the Dominican Republic and works as "an alternative and holistic medicine practitioner" in the U.S., according to the Daily Wire. He wrote that he's been doing this work for roughly 30 years and described it as something that gives him "great pleasure."

That self-description matters because it's the entire pitch he made to patients. Nowhere in it does he claim a U.S. medical license. Investigators say that's because he doesn't have one.

His sister, Heidi Rojas Cabrera, told reporters cited by leadership.ng that he was a surgeon in the Dominican Republic and had been working toward getting a physician assistant license in the U.S. That's a materially different claim than being a licensed doctor here. It's the one piece of the story that comes directly from the accused's family rather than police or prosecutors.

Online reviews of the center told a rougher story. Former clients called him "inhumane," a "con artist," and a "scammer," according to the Daily Wire. Whether those reviews reflect this incident or a pattern of complaints isn't established, and no prior criminal or regulatory record against Cabrera has been reported by any outlet.

Who Elizabeth Baron Was

Baron lived near the wellness center and worked in Manhattan. Her next-door neighbor described her to the New York Post as a "beautiful young woman" who went to the gym regularly and cared about her health.

"I'm so shocked," the neighbor said. "She seemed very healthy, caring about her health in the sense of going to the gym regularly, and looking beautiful."

Baron's father confirmed her identity to reporters, according to leadership.ng, and said the death is under police investigation. Neighbors described her as vibrant and active.

What Happens Next

Cabrera was arraigned Tuesday night. A Bronx judge ordered him to surrender his passport as a condition of release while the city's Office of Chief Medical Examiner conducts an autopsy and toxicology testing, according to the district attorney's office.

Toxicology testing is crucial. Nobody, including the medical examiner, has publicly confirmed what was actually in the injection Baron received. Sources uniformly describe it as an "anti-aging serum" of unknown composition.

Prosecutors have signaled the current charges, reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession, could be upgraded once the autopsy and toxicology results come back, according to the New York Post and Medbound Times.

This case involves two real problems: weak enforcement against unlicensed practitioners operating out of storefront "wellness centers," and a booming, lightly regulated anti-aging industry that markets injectables to health-conscious young professionals. New York, like most states, requires a medical license to inject patients with prescription or unapproved substances. Cabrera had none. How he was operating a clinic administering injections for years, per his own website's claims of decades of practice, without triggering licensing enforcement is a question state regulators haven't yet answered publicly.

The autopsy and toxicology results, once complete, will determine whether this becomes a more serious case or remains at the reckless endangerment level.