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Crime News Breaking News

Man Dies After Being Viciously Beaten On Christmas Eve During Robbery Over $1

When Juan Fresnada and his partner Byron Caceres refused to offer any valuables during an attempted mugging, a group of men launched into a brutal assault. 

By M.L. Nestel
Man Beaten Pd

A group of men were caught on camera inflicting a brutal beating against a helpless New York City man on Christmas Eve before robbing him for $1, authorities say.

Three days later, the victim died of his injuries. 

Juan Fresnada, 60, was walking with his 29-year-old partner in front of a McDonald’s located on Third Avenue and East 164th Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. 

A man approached them and “demanded their property,” police said.   
 
When the pair refused to offer any valuables, the group launched into a brutal assault against them. 

Both men attempted to seek refuge at a nearby deli, but the man followed and continued to accost them, according to The New York Daily News

"The guy had his fist ready like he was ready to attack me," Fresnada's partner, Byron Caceres, told the publication.

He said Fresnada warned the man, "Don’t you get close to him,” in an effort to shield him from harm.

The man then started to manhandle Fresnada and he was soon joined by two more attackers.

One of the alleged robbers can be seen wrestling Fresnada around in circles by the collar of his sweatshirt before tossing him to the ground, where he proceeds to stomp, kick and land a barrage of punches, according to a video clip released by cops. 

Two others appear in the camera frame and join in the melee to land more blows against Fresnada as he lies on the asphalt. 

One suspect can be seen on video rushing up and raising a metal trash in an attempt to strike the helpless Fresnada. 

The men then allegedly snatched $1 from Fresnada before fleeing, according to police. 

“They were beating him for 10 or 15 minutes,” Caceres told the Daily News, one day after the fatal encounter. 

Caceres managed to escape. But because he doesn't own a cell phone, he said he couldn't call for help. 

When he returned, he found Fresnada, who he's lived with since 2016, in dire shape.

“He was breathing heavily and bleeding from his head," he told the publication. "I tried to give him CPR but then a guy said I should stop because of how heavily he was breathing.”

Fresnada was taken to nearby Lincoln Hospital where he was initially listed in critical condition. 

He died three days later, cops confirmed. 

The investigation remains active with the police publicly releasing closeup photos of each of the alleged assailants' faces. 

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