Have They Found the Brooklyn Mirage Serial Killer? What You Need to Know
The Brooklyn Mirage, an EDM hotspot, has become the topic of speculation after multiple suspicious deaths in the area. In this article, we will delve into the details of these mysterious incidents, the questions they raise, and the developments in the investigation.
A Series of Suspicious Deaths
It all started with the case of 27-year-old psychologist Karl Clemente. On June 16, police found Clemente's body after he failed to gain entry to a party at the Mirage due to alleged severe intoxication. Five days later, his lifeless body was discovered floating in Newtown Creek, just a few blocks away from the club. Security footage allegedly shows him running down the street, but this footage has not been released to the public.
Clemente’s wallet and phone were not recovered with his body. But what really captured attention was an eerily similar case. On August 1, Goldman Sachs analyst John Castic, also 27, was found dead three days after visiting the Mirage. Castic's friends allege that he said he hadn't been feeling well and left the club alone around 3 in the morning. Security footage has been released to the public showing him walking calmly down the street. Castic's phone registered his location at 3:51 AM on the Metropolitan Bridge before it either lost battery power or was shut off.
John's father Jeffrey Castic claims that his son's "official cause of death is drowning." The city medical examiner's office hasn’t released an official ruling yet as toxicology tests are still pending. Meanwhile, Karl Clemente's father, Alexander, remarked during an interview with the New York Post that there is "so much similarity" between the two deaths. He expressed his belief that "there’s something fishy here."
So far, the NYPD hasn't suggested that the deaths are related or even a result of foul play, but a few other details have got internet sleuths poking around.
The Mirage: A Mysterious Setting
Curbed reports that the Mirage, which was built on a former lumberyard, is located in an empty-looking industrial neighborhood full of warehouses and chained-off lots. A website for the venue boasts that the club is part of the "largest standing room entertainment complex in North America."
According to an additional on-the-ground report from Curbed, cell reception in this area of the city is spotty, Mirage security guards push patrons out of the premises at the end of the night, and potentially unlicensed taxi drivers line the street outside the club looking for business.
All of these details – particularly the dystopian-looking setting – have led to some theorizing.
Doctor Allegedly Held Captive
The social media maelstrom was further fueled by claims from Connecticut medical doctor Michael Bautista of having been kidnapped by an armed captor outside the Mirage on July 22. Bautista said in interviews that the assailant, who has since been identified as club promoter Anthony Benjamin, allegedly held him at gunpoint and forced him to spend over $6,000 on pizza, sneakers, caps, and a strip club.
The Norwalk Police filed an incident report stating that Benjamin allegedly told Bautista he was "packing" and had "put people in body bags before." Benjamin and his accomplice in the crime, Steve Daly, were released on bond. The two men are set to appear in Connecticut Superior Court on September 19, though it has since come out that Benjamin gave police old contact information.
As the court date approaches, it is unclear whether officials have an alternative way of contacting Benjamin. The doctor told police that his terrifying ordeal unfolded after he attended a show with friends at the Brooklyn Mirage.
He climbed into a cab and asked for a ride to his car, which was parked several blocks away, according to the Norwalk police report cited by The Hour. But another man, club promoter Anthony Benjamin, 43, was already in the back seat. The driver reportedly took both men to an after-party in Manhattan.
Benjamin identified himself as "Tony G's" and told the doctor he was the party's promoter as he gestured to a gun in his waistband, police said.
After leaving the after-party, they took a Lyft back to Brooklyn and got into the doctor's car. Benjamin allegedly ordered him to drive them to the Bronx as he bragged about putting "people in body bags" and letting "bullets fly." At one point, he threatened to "kill" his companion before breaking into a chuckle, the police report says.
The physician was taken to an ATM and instructed to withdraw $20,000 in cash, police said, but he could only take out $1,000. Benjamin then handed out the bills to his friends in the neighborhood. The physician said he was forced to take his new companion on a spending spree, hitting Foot Locker, a barber shop, and a strip club, police said.
Anthony Benjamin and Steve Daley: Suspects in Abduction and Possible Connection to Clemente and Castic Deaths
Anthony Benjamin and Steve Daley, currently facing charges of second-degree kidnapping in the abduction of a Connecticut doctor outside a New York City concert venue, have now come under increased scrutiny as potential suspects in the mysterious deaths of Karl Clemente and John Castic.
While the New York Police Department has not officially linked these individuals to the deaths of Clemente and Castic, the circumstances surrounding these cases have raised suspicions and prompted further investigations. As the legal proceedings progress, the question of whether these suspects are connected to the tragic deaths remains a topic of intense interest and concern.
