‘Justice for Julio’: Vigil held for 25-year-old who died after leaving NYC gay bar – NBC News
Friends and community members gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil and moment of silence in memory of Julio Ramirez, 25, who died in April shortly after leaving a popular New York City gay bar.
Ramirez, a social worker from Brooklyn, met up with a friend on April 20 for a night out in Hell’s Kitchen, a Manhattan neighborhood known for its lively restaurant and bar scene. Their last stop was the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a multilevel gay venue in the heart of the neighborhood’s Restaurant Row.
After being separated from his friend, surveillance footage from a nearby security camera showed Ramirez walking away from the Ritz with three unidentified men at 3:17 a.m., according to his brother. They all entered a taxi, but Ramirez was alone in the backseat less than an hour later when the driver approached police to say he had an unresponsive passenger in his car. Ramirez was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 4:49 a.m. on April 21, with the initial cause of death listed as a “possible drug overdose.”
He was initially identified as “John Doe,” his brother, Carlos Ramirez, said, because neither his wallet nor phone were with him when he died. He also said Julio’s bank accounts were drained of approximately $20,000 in the days following his death.
“Julio was somebody that was very loved. I think that this whole thing is suspicious, and I do hope that we get answers soon,” Ramirez’s friend, Karinina Quimpo, told NBC New York. “To get into a cab with a bunch of strangers, to just give away his phone, potentially give away his belongings, it’s just not like him.”
Wednesday’s vigil drew a crowd of approximately 60 attendees, many holding “Justice for Julio” signs as they marched in the street toward nearby Times Square. Participants said they hope they can raise awareness of Ramirez’s mysterious death and push investigators for answers.
The vigil was organized by Hell’s Kitchen resident Catie Savage, who expressed frustration with the lack of information the public currently has regarding Ramirez’s death.
“There are still people out there who did this, who knows if they’ve done this to someone else,” Savage said. “Until they’re brought to justice, this can easily happen again.”
Another vigil attendee, Gerardo Madrid, who also lives in the neighborhood, said, “There needs to be awareness of the criminals outside our spaces targeting vulnerable people.”
“There are probably people here who are victims of similar cases like this,” Madrid said. “The more awareness we can raise on how we can protect ourselves and keep our friends and community safe, the better.”
Community activist and Hell’s Kitchen resident Chris Lebron said he was concerned about the lack of updates from the New York Police Department and expressed frustration that it took the public weeks to find out about Ramirez’s death.
“Finally, we are talking about him,” Lebron said. “A Latino life was lost, and we are now talking about him. That is unacceptable that it took this long.”
Some at Wednesday’s vigil said they fear Ramirez was targeted and victimized because he was gay.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” participant Sam Carnicelli told NBC New York. “It wasn’t some random act, and I fear that there will be future targets.”
The NYPD said the investigation into Ramirez’s death is ongoing, and an official cause of death has not yet been released.