'Doctor' Performs Plastic Surgery in NYC Living Room, Patient Dead

Maria Penaloza Cabrera, 31, has died after a plastic surgery procedure went horribly wrong inside a makeshift medical office in an apartment in the New York City borough of Queens. The man who performed the procedure? He wasn’t licensed. He wasn’t certified. And after calling 911, police say, he tried to flee the country.

A ‘Doctor’s Office’ in a Living Room

On March 28, Felipe Hoyos-Foronda allegedly performed an unlicensed buttocks implant removal on the woman in his apartment on 35th Street in Astoria, according to multiple law enforcement sources. During the procedure, Hoyos-Foronda reportedly injected the woman with lidocaine - an anesthetic that, in high doses, can cause serious toxicity.

Shortly after the injection, Cabrera went into cardiac arrest. Fire Department medics responded to the scene and rushed her to Mount Sinai Queens, but she showed no brain activity and was intubated. Several weeks later, she died.

He Called for Help - Then Tried to Run

Police say Hoyos-Foronda called 911 after Cabrera went into distress, but he fled the scene before officers arrived. Detectives were able to identify him from information provided by his landlord. Hours later, the NYPD’s license plate reader system flagged his vehicle near JFK Airport.

He was arrested inside the terminal by Port Authority police while allegedly attempting to board a flight to Colombia - his reported home country and the place he told authorities he was licensed to practice medicine.

Charges, Denials, and a Sealed Apartment

The New York City Department of Buildings issued a partial vacate order on the apartment. Inside, investigators found a fully set-up illegal medical office - complete with exam tables, syringes of cosmetic injectables, and exam lights.

Hoyos-Foronda, 38, has been charged with second-degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession. According to a criminal complaint, he admitted to administering the injection and performing the surgery without a license. He pleaded not guilty and is currently being held without bail. The Queens District Attorney’s Office informed the New York Daily News that “they are reexamining Hoyos-Foronda’s charges as an investigation continues,” USA TODAY reported.

More Victims Could Be Out There

Now, the NYPD is urging anyone who may have undergone medical procedures by Hoyos-Foronda to come forward. The department believes there may be additional victims of unauthorized medical treatments performed in secret - right inside his Queens apartment.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

References: N.Y.C. Man Allegedly Leaves Woman Brain Dead After Illegally Performing Plastic Surgery Procedure at His Home | NYC man caught trying to leave country after illegal surgical procedure left woman unresponsive, police say | Fake doctor accused of poisoning woman with lidocaine injection: Queens DA | Woman who underwent botched cosmetic surgery by fake NYC doctor has died, police say