The Bronx woman allegedly killed by a dodgy doctor died after he accidentally injected her with air during a trendy anti-aging treatment, the city’s medical examiner ruled.
Elizabeth Baron, 27, died from a cardiac air embolism because air got into an IV by an unlicensed practitioner, allegedly Luis Rojas Cabrera, 55, according to the official cause of death revealed Tuesday.
The ME’s ruling clears up lingering mystery over Baron’s tragic and untimely demise during a July 19 visit to Bereshit Lifestyle Center, a Riverdale wellness center that offered “natural medicine,” according to its website.
Elizabeth Baron’s death has been ruled a cardiac air embolism. Facebook/Maria Carrasquilla
Rojas Cabrera, who ran the spa and isn’t licensed to practice medicine in the US, allegedly injected Baron with NAD+ – a molecule hyped in woo-woo health circles and celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Joe Rogan for its supposed anti-aging properties.
But Baron immediately went into cardiac arrest after the injection, prompting Rojas Cabrera to knowingly admit to a police officer, “I made a very big mistake,” court documents allege.
Prosecutors charged Rojas Cabrera with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession, while they waited for autopsy results to see if his injection was linked to Baron’s death.
Those charges weren’t bail-eligible, meaning Rojas Cabrera has been free since his July arraignment, during which he pleaded not guilty.
Luis Rojas Cabrera was arraigned in Criminal Court in the Bronx on Sunday, July 20, 2025. William C Lopez/NY Post
The city’s medical examiner eventually ruled Baron’s cause of death as a homicide, potentially exposing Rojas Cabrera to upgraded charges, sources have said.
A law-enforcement source said a grand jury had indicted Rojas Cabrera on upgraded charges, but didn’t specify them.
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately comment.
Nicolas, from left, Maria Carrasquilla, Miguel Baron, and Elizabeth Baron are pictured in a photo posted to Facebook on Aug. 16, 2022. Facebook/Maria Carrasquilla
Rojas Cabrera, when reached by The Post, contended medical examiners found air in Baron’s heart not because of the injection, but because he had to perform manual CPR during the procedure.
He said he stopped the IV after Baron went into cardiac arrest and performed CPR.
Medics who arrived afterward likewise performed mechanical CPR, he said, adding that could have created the air that the ME’s office attributed to the injection.
Rojas Cabrera allegedly injected Baron with NAD+ – a molecule hyped in woo-woo health circles and celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner (pictured) and Joe Rogan for its supposed anti-aging properties. HULU
“When I investigated with other doctors, they told me it was a possibility,” he said. “The prolonged CPR can produce air in the heart chambers.”
Underlying medical conditions could have caused Baron’s death, Rojas Cabrera contended.
He didn’t comment on the potential he’d face a homicide charge. His attorney Lucia Caballero didn’t return a call for comment.
He’s expected to be arraigned Oct. 8 on the grand jury indictment, the law-enforcement source said.