A gay Latinx man was violently beaten to death in front of his husband in the Bronx, New York in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Juan Fresnada – who was known to friends as Cuba – was attacked alongside his husband Byron Caceres as they left a Bronx McDonald’s restaurant. The attackers stole just $1 from the man.
In disturbing video footage, 60-year-old Fresnada can be seen being violently thrown to the ground where he was stamped on repeatedly. Shockingly, cars and buses can be seen driving past the assault – and nobody stops to help him.
During the attack, Fresnada grabbed a trash can and tried to use it to defend himself against the attackers.
Gay man Juan Fresnada was left with a fractured scull from the assault.
“My husband tried to defend me,” Caceres told the New York Daily News. “The guy had his fist ready like he was ready to attack me. My husband said, ‘Don’t you get close to him.’”
After fleeing the scene to seek help, Caceres returned to find his husband with a fractured skull. The attack lasted 10-15 minutes in total.
I tried to give him CPR but then a guy said I should stop because of how heavily he was breathing.
“He was breathing heavily and bleeding from his head,” Caceres said. “I tried to give him CPR but then a guy said I should stop because of how heavily he was breathing.
A friend of the couple, who is called Tony, told NBC New York that Fresnada told his partner to run away during the attack. While his husband was able to get away, Fresnada ended up in critical condition. He had a bleed to the brain and died on December 27 in hospital.
Police have released footage of the attackers in an effort to catch them.
“The guys just told them ‘Give me the money, give me the money.’” Tony said. “He was like ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’”
The horrifying attack has left Caceres without his husband and left the local LGBT+ community reeling.
The attack is being treated as a robbery. It is unclear if the men were targeted because of their sexual orientation.
Police have released CCTV footage of Fresnada’s attackers in an effort to catch the culprits. They are appealing to the public for information.
Anyone who has information about the attackers can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.