Gay New York on Alert after Attacks as Other Victims Describe Similar Encounters

After the deaths of two gay men in New York City due to similar circumstances, a number of men have stepped forward to describe how they were assaulted in a similar manner, but survived. They're coming forward occurs as the New York Post reports Manhattan Councilman Erik Bottcher is urging the LGBTQ community to be "extra vigilant" when going out for a night on the town after the suspicious deaths of two gay men in Hell's Kitchen.

Bottcher did so while canvassing Hell's Kitchen with volunteers handing out flyers with safety tips to raise awareness that one or more people may be targeting, drugging and robbing gay men in the area. Bottcher and a team of volunteers planned to drop the fliers in bars throughout Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village.

"The council member – a gay man himself who has spent much of his career in public service advocating for and supporting the LBGTQ community – urged bargoers to be on high alert after two men, 25-year-old Julio Ramirez and 35-year-old John Umberger, were both found dead in separate incidents after a night out at New York City gay bars," the Post wrote.

"We demand justice for the deaths of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger," Bottcher said as he handed out fliers. "We will not be cowed. We will not be intimidated. We will not stay home. But we want there to be ongoing campaign of awareness."

Bottcher's appearance came amid further reports by men who have stepped forward with similar stories of being drugged and robbed as reported by NBC News. Burt, one of the men, reached out to the news outlet to say that in December he was walking home from The Boiler Room in the East Village and remembers having "one last drink by himself," which was the last thing he remembered before "waking up the next morning in his apartment confused."

He noticed his phone, iPad, headphones, personal laptop, and wallet were missing.NBC News adds that by "using his work laptop, he discovered that was just the beginning of what would amount to roughly $15,000 of stolen belongings and funds. The person or people who robbed him accessed his checking account, over-drafting it to pay off his credit cards and then using them to buy three new iPhones that morning."

He reported to the police the next day, saying he believed his assaliant used his unconscious face to unlock his iPhone and bank accounts using the Face ID feature. He also believes he was slipped some sort of drug that knocked him unconsious.

"I don't think I was drinking nearly enough to have zero recollection. Also, that's never happened to me before," Burt said, adding that he had a total of three to four drinks over the course of four hours. "I'll go out and I'll get home and be like, 'Oh, gosh, I don't remember getting home,' or, 'I don't remember leaving,' or something like that because I drank a lot, but I don't remember anything. I don't remember a single thing after I had that drink, which has just never happened to me in my life before."

Another man, the father of a New York University student, spoke to NBC News to report his son was also targeted by men with similar motives on April 8, less than two weeks before Ramirez's death. He stepped forward on the condition that his name not be published out of fear of putting his son in danger.

NBC writes that the man said his son "was leaving The Q bar in Hell's Kitchen, the same bar Umberger was last seen at, with three men he had just met that night. The four of them, he said, had planned to go back to his son's apartment to meet a friend who was already there. The man – who connected with NBC News through Linda Clary, Umberger's mother – said his son and his son's friend believe they were drugged at some point after returning to the apartment with the three unidentified men. The father said that his son and his son's friend believe they were drugged because of the sudden nature of their blackouts and loss of memory coupled with the robbery.

The father added that when his son regained consciousness, his phone was missing, his bank accounts emptied using cash apps, and his credit cards were maxed out. The father also said he believed the assailantes used his son's unconscious face to unlock his iPhone and bank accounts using Face ID. His son's friend also had his wallet stolen. The father said his son filed a police report and the case was being investigated, but NBC News was not able to independently verify the son's account.

His father told him he was leaving The Q bar in Hell's Kitchen, the same bar Umberger was last seen at, with three men he had just met that night. The four of them, he said, had planned to go back to his son's apartment to meet a friend who was already there. The man – who connected with NBC News through Linda Clary, Umberger's mother – said his son and his son's friend believe they were drugged at some point after returning to the apartment with the three unidentified men. The father said that his son and his son's friend believe they were drugged because of the sudden nature of their blackouts and loss of memory coupled with the robbery.

"Less than two weeks after the college student's alleged encounter in early April, Ramirez was found dead in the back of a taxi," writes NBC News. "His body was discovered an hour after he was seen leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge with three unidentified men, according to the NYPD. His family previously told NBC News that approximately $20,000 had been drained from his bank accounts."

Much of the attention around the murders and robberies has been spearheaded by victim John Umberger's mother, Linda Clary, who is pressing the NYPD to further investigate the death of her son, John. "Roughly a month later, Umberger was found dead after he and two unidentified men left another popular Hell's Kitchen gay bar, The Q. The unidentified men transferred about $20,000 out of Umberger's bank accounts and maxed out his credit cards, according to Clary, Umberger's mother," writes NBC News.