A New York man was arrested for allegedly illegally performing plastic surgery procedures that left one client brain dead, a New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE.
Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, was arrested on Friday, March 28, after medics responded to his call to his home on 35th St. near 20th Road in Astoria, Queens. He was charged with assault in the second degree and unauthorized practice of profession, the NYPD said.
Hoyos-Foronda called EMS and then fled the scene, police said, per CBS News. Upon the EMS team’s arrival, Fire Department New York medics found a 31-year-old woman in cardiac arrest. She was allegedly administered lidocaine injections, which are commonly used as a local anesthetic to numb specific areas, per the Mayo Clinic.
First responders discovered Hoyos-Foronda’s makeshift doctor’s office in his home, and then requested that the police respond to the scene. Hoyos-Foronda’s landlord provided detectives with Hoyos-Foronda’s information and picture.
The city’s license plate reader system received a notification on his vehicle, which was on the Van Wyck Expressway near John F. Kennedy International Airport, per CBS News. He was arrested by the Port Authority Police Department inside the airport after he went through security. He reportedly told authorities he was a licensed doctor in Colombia, according to police sources, per the New York Daily News. He had a ticket for a flight to Colombia, police said, per CBS News.
The woman was transported to Mount Sinai Queens. She is believed to have suffered from lidocaine toxicity, according to prosecutors, per the Daily News. The proposed condition occurs when excessive amounts of the anesthetic enter the bloodstream, and can cause dizziness, agitation and cardiovascular or respiratory failure, per Medical News Today.
The woman has no brain activity and is intubated at the hospital. She is not expected to survive, per the Daily News.
Hoyos-Foronda’s home is now under a partial vacate order. “[The] first apartment operating as a medical office with medical exam table, cosmetic injectables syringes, exam lights, the order states, per CBS News.
Hoyos-Foronda pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail during his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, PIX11 reports. His next court appearance is on Thursday, April 3, at 9:00 a.m., per court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
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Representatives for the FDNY and Queens’ District Attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.
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