Two men charged after alleged abduction outside The Brooklyn Mirage
- PublishedFri, Aug 25, 2023, 13:00
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- The venue has also been linked to two deaths in recent months.
- Two men have been charged after a clubber was allegedly abducted outside New York venue The Brooklyn Mirage last month. According to a police report seen by The Hour, a 32-year-old doctor—since named as Michael Bautista by the The New York Post—was at the venue on Friday, July 21st, when Bob Moses were performing live. After he left in the early hours of Saturday, he said he was kidnapped by a man and forced to spend money at various places, including a Foot Locker, a barber shop and a strip club. He was also asked to withdraw money from several ATMs totalling around $1,000. The ordeal ended at around 4 AM on Sunday, July 23rd, when Bautista, who is a cataract surgeon, persuaded the the man and his alleged accomplice to drive him to Norwalk Hospital, where he works. There, he was able to alert security. Two men were arrested at the scene. Anthony E. Benjamin was charged with second-degree kidnapping and Steve Daley with conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping. Both men are scheduled to appear in court in Stamford, New York, on September 19th. This is the third serious case linked to The Brooklyn Mirage in as many months. On June 16th, the body of a man called Karl Clemente was found floating in Newtown Creek, a few blocks from the venue. He'd last been seen outside the venue at around 10 PM on June 11th, where he was refused entry. Then on August 1st, another man, 27-year-old John Castic, was also found dead in the same creek. He was last seen leaving a Zeds Dead show at the venue in the early hours of July 29th. Both deaths are being investigated by local authorities. The medical examiner has yet to release a cause of death for either men, though Castic's father told The New York Post that his son drowned. At present, no connection has been made between the three incidents. Resident Advisor approached the New York Police Department for comment. The deputy commissioner of public information released two statements, both of which confirmed that Clemente and Castic were found dead "floating in the water." On August 4th, The Brooklyn Mirage released a since-expired statement via Instagram Stories. It expressed condolences for the families and friends of the two dead men, urged members of the community to come together and support each other, and pledged to continue to provide assistance to investigating authorities. RA has approached Avant Gardner for comment. Opened in July 2017, The Brooklyn Mirage is a 5,000-capacity venue within the Avant Gardner complex. Recent electronic guests include Bicep, MK and Keinemusik. We'll report more on this story as it unfolds. Additional reporting by Arielle Lana LeJarde.
- Fri, Jul 21, 2023
BOB MOSES
Bob Moses, Hayden James, Julya Karma