New Yorker, 61, dies in the hospital four days after he was savagely beaten while defending his partner from attackers who robbed him of $1 in brutal Christmas Eve mugging
- Juan Fresnada, 61, and Bayron Caceres, 29, were attacked at 1am on Christmas Eve in the Bronx
- Their attackers demanded money from them as they walked out of a McDonald’s
- When the attackers became violent, Fresnada shielded his partner from them
- Caceres then ran to get help but by the time he returned, Fresnada had sustained deadly injuries
- He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on Saturday
- It was not thought to have been a homophobic attack
- Police are now trying to identify the men who attacked them and took $1
A 61-year-old man who suffered brutal injuries while defending his partner from an attack on Christmas Eve in the Bronx over just $1 has died in the hospital.
Juan Fresnada was attacked as he walked down the street with his 29-year-old partner, Bayron Caceres, at 1.28am on Christmas Eve.
It is unclear if the attack was a homophobic hate crime, or if the assailants were simply looking to rob the pair but they took $1 from Fresnada.
He was beaten so badly that he suffered swelling to his brain and a fractured skull. Caceres was not seriously injured.
Juan Fresnada (left) was attacked as he walked down the street with his 29-year-old partner, Bayron Caceres, (right together) at 1.28am on Christmas Eve
The NYPD has released this surveillance footage still image to try to identify the assailants
Fresnada was rushed to the hospital but he was pronounced dead on Saturday, four days after the assault.
The NYPD is still looking for the assailants. They have released surveillance footage of the pair in the hope that a member of the public will recognize them and come forward.
The two suspects are both young black males.
On the night of the attack, one was wearing a red head scarf and grey jacket.
Caceres told The New York Daily News this week how Fresnada protected him. He refers to him as his husband but the pair were not legally married.
‘My husband tried to defend me. The guy had his fist ready like he was ready to attack me. My husband said, “Don’t you get close to him!”‘ he said.
Surveillance footage of the attack showed the men brutally beating Fresnada on Christmas Eve
According to authorities, the suspects only managed to get away with one dollar
Caceres said he and his husband had just come out of a McDonald’s when one of the attackers appeared and demanded money from them.
To try to escape them, they walked into a deli but more men came to join the robbers.
Once they were all in the street, they pummeled Fresnada mercilessly. His husband ran for help but by the time he returned, he had sustained deadly injuries.
‘They were beating him for 10 or 15 minutes.
‘I went back and found him on the floor. He was breathing heavily and bleeding from his head.
‘I tried to give him CPR but then a guy said I should stop because of how heavily he was breathing,’ he continued.
The couple had just emerged from this McDonald’s when they were attacked