NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – A Connecticut doctor was reportedly kidnapped from the Brooklyn Mirage, a music venue in New York City where two concertgoers recently disappeared and were later found dead. The doctor, who has not been identified, was abducted on July 21 and forced to accompany his captor on a spending spree in the Bronx, according to a police report obtained by The Hour.
Details of the crime against the 32-year-old Connecticut physician emerged after the deaths of Goldman Sachs analyst John Castic and psychologist Karl Clemente, both 27, made national headlines. Castic went missing on July 29 after attending a concert at the venue, and Clemente vanished on June 11.
The doctor told police that his ordeal began after he attended a show with friends at the Brooklyn Mirage. He got into a cab and asked for a ride to his car, but another man, club promoter Anthony Benjamin, was already in the back seat. Benjamin identified himself as “Tony G’s” and showed the doctor a gun in his waistband. He then allegedly forced the doctor to drive them to the Bronx, threatened to “kill” his companion, and instructed him to withdraw $20,000 from an ATM, but the doctor could only withdraw $1,000. Benjamin then forced the doctor to take him on a spending spree, including stops at Foot Locker, a barber shop, and a strip club.
A call from Norwalk Hospital on July 23 paved the way for the doctor’s escape. Benjamin and his accomplice, Steve Daley, were subsequently arrested on second-degree kidnapping charges, including with a firearm, and other charges.
After the deaths of Castic and Clemente, local residents and members of the live music scene have urged local politicians to crack down on illegal cabs and improve safety in the neighborhood.