NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The alleged ringleader of a Manhattan robbery spree that targeted gay nightclub patrons and led to two overdose deaths has been arrested, authorities said Tuesday.
Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, was arrested on Monday night by members of the NYPD's Regional Task Force.
Prosecutors said that Hamilton is among the five gangbangers charged in the 15-month spree where victims were drugged, their identities stolen and cash taken from their accounts.
The spree has also been linked to the deaths of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez, who both died after being drugged and robbed in 2022. However, authorities believe the victims were just two of the 17 people targeted by the group between March 2021 and July 2022.
Hamilton, Andre Butts, 27, Shane Hoskins, 30, Robert Demaio, 34, and Jacob Barroso, 29, are charged with robbery, conspiracy and identity theft, but Hamilton, Demaio and Barroso are also charged with murder.
"Their motive, we allege, was simple: to make money," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a press conference Tuesday. "They approached people leaving bars and nightclubs late at night, engaged them in conversation, and offered them illicit and dangerous substances."
Authorities said Ramirez, a 25-year-old Brooklyn social worker, was found dead in the backseat of a taxi early on April 21 following a visit to the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay bar on West 46th Street.
Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant in New York City on business, was found dead of an overdose on June 1 in an apartment where he was staying after a night out at the Q, another popular Hell's Kitchen gay bar.
Their deaths were ruled homicides in March by the city medical examiner's office due to "drug-facilitated thefts." Multiple drugs were found in their systems, including fentanyl, lidocaine and cocaine.
Bragg said in a statement that the "entire city continues to mourn the tragic losses of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger," adding that in addition to the "pain their deaths caused for their family and loved ones," "many other New Yorkers have feared for their own safety when going out to meet up with friends."
At the end of March, police linked 43 druggings, including the seven fatal overdoses, to two separate robbery patterns in and around Manhattan clubs.
Anyone who may have been the victim of a similar incident is asked to call the DA's Witness Aid Services Unit at 212-335-9040.
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