What to Know
A New York woman has died after being given a controversial anti-aging treatment at a wellness center in the Bronx. Elizabeth Baron received an injection of NAD+, or Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, by Luis Rojas Cabrera, who purported himself as a holistic doctor. NAD+ has been popularized by several celebrity influencers, including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber.
However, Cabrera has no license to administer the treatment. In fact, he doesn’t even have a license to practice medicine in the United States. As a result of Baron’s death, Cabrera is now facing charges, and could end up in jail.
Things went wrong quickly.
Baron was being treated on July 19, 2026 at the Bereshit Lifestyle Center in the Bronx’s Riverdale neighborhood, which was run by Luis Rojas Cabrera, the New York Daily News reported.
Cabrera administered the NAD+ through an IV tube placed in Baron’s right hand. It was still in her hand when she was quickly taken to New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. There, she was pronounced dead at 1:09 p.m.
In the early hours of July 21, Cabrera was arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court. During that time, Assistant District Attorney Ethan Reisbaum explained what exactly happened after the procedure.
“Ms. Baron immediately went into cardiac arrest and later was pronounced dead,” Reisbaum said. “The defendant does not have a license to practice medicine in New York State and has no legal authority to administer NAD+ via an IV. Furthermore, administering NAD+ via an IV requires a prescription from a medical professional.”
This isn’t his first run in with the law.
Prosecutors revealed that Cabrera was arrested at Newark Liberty International airport twice in 2025 when returning from his native Dominican Republic.
He was first arrested on November 6 for possessing a metal baton. And four days later, he was arrested for possessing 200 vials of prescription medications, plus more than 30 tablets and 10 syringes of lidocaine.
The two cases were downgraded to Newark Civil Court in December. Six months later, they were dismissed.
On his website, Cabrera’s bio states that he is board certified in holistic health and alternative medicine and that he is from a family of medical professionals in the Dominican Republic.
“It gives me great pleasure to help individuals gain improvement in their health condition and lifestyle through natural methods and simple therapies,” he wrote.
Cabrera knew that he was going to be in trouble.
Local news outlet PIX11 obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Cabrera.
According to investigators, Cabrera told police “I gave her a NAD+ IV. She went unconscious immediately. I called 911. I am a doctor in the Dominican Republic. I have a PA license in Puerto Rico. I am not a licensed doctor in New York. My application is pending. I only have an esthetician license.”
He did not provide police with documentation authorizing him to administer or prescribe NAD+ IV therapy.
Officers said Cabrera later told them “I made a very big mistake. I need to call my family because I have a feeling I will not be home for a while.”
Luis Rojas Cabrera was charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession, according to Gothamist. He was ordered to surrender his passport by a judge and was released pending the results of Baron’s autopsy.
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