Gay bars in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen have long been a vibrant hub for LGBTQ nightlife — where drag queens dazzle, drinks flow, and the energy is as electric as the pride flags fluttering above the bars. But in 2022, this neighborhood became the backdrop for a horrific pattern that no one saw coming: two young men, Julio Ramirez and John Umberger, lost their lives after nights out in the same gay bars. The twist? Both deaths were linked to a sinister crime spree targeting the city’s LGBTQ nightlife.
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Two Men, One Pattern, Too Many Red Flags
Ramirez was a 25-year-old social worker who went out for a fun evening with friends in Hell’s Kitchen on April 20, 2022. As the night came to an end, he got into a taxi with three men, but when the cab arrived at its destination, Julio was found unresponsive in the back seat. By the time he reached the hospital, it was too late. At first, it seemed like an overdose, but as the investigation continued, it became clear that something much darker was at play.
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Enter Julio’s friend, Shiva Campbell. The morning after, she noticed something off — Julio’s phone was no longer sharing its location with hers, as they always did for safety. A quick text went unanswered. By the end of the day, Campbell’s worry turned to panic: “We talk all day, every day, and so by that night I knew that something’s wrong,” she recalls. The next phone call was to Julio’s mom, and let’s just say it wasn’t the kind of conversation anyone ever wants to have. Soon, the missing person report was filed, and the hunt for answers was on.
But Wait, There’s More…
And then, weeks later, the plot thickened. Enter John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant from D.C. who, like Julio, decided to enjoy a night out in Hell’s Kitchen. After hitting the bars, John was seen getting into a cab with three men — no surprise there. But what happened next? Well, less than an hour later, the same men returned to the cab without him. Umberger was found dead in his apartment days later. His phone and wallet? Gone. And the kicker? Over $20,000 was withdrawn from his accounts.
It didn’t take long for John’s mother to make the connection. “Wait a minute,” she thought, “this sounds way too familiar.” And she was right. The similarities between the two cases were so uncanny, even the NYPD started to connect the dots. That’s when more survivors began to come forward, claiming they too had been drugged and robbed after nights out at gay bars. Some had no memory of how they got home, but later discovered their bank accounts had been drained. It was like something straight out of a True Crime podcast, except way too real.
Flyers, Fright, and Fentanyl
As the horror spread, Hell’s Kitchen became the epicenter of a new kind of nightlife safety campaign. Flyers warning people to stay vigilant popped up in every bar and club. But while the party was still pumping, this new threat wasn’t something anyone could dance around.
The twist? A trio of criminals — Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert DeMaio, and Jacob Barroso — had been targeting victims just outside gay bars, drugging them with fentanyl, and robbing them blind while they were unconscious. It was like a nightmare we never thought we’d see outside of a Law & Order: SVU marathon. The three men were eventually arrested, with Hamilton and DeMaio facing sentences of 40 years to life, and Barroso getting a relatively lighter 20 years to life.
And Now, the Real Drama
The tale doesn’t end there. This dark and twisted story will be revisited in the upcoming People Magazine Investigates episode, “Death in Hell’s Kitchen,” airing on Monday, January 19 at 9/8c. It’s the kind of episode that’ll make you cringe, sure, but it’ll also remind you just how crucial it is to stay safe and look out for each other.
Because let’s be real: the last thing we need in our community is a drama-filled tale of fentanyl-fueled crime sprees — we already have enough real drama on Drag Race. Instead, let’s take a page from this tragic chapter and use it to remind ourselves that safety comes first, no matter where we go — whether it’s a drag brunch or a dive bar.
When it comes to keeping our nightlife safe, the only thing we should be worried about is our drink order.
Source: People