Man arrested in connection to death of cab dispatcher outside NYC hotel: NYPD

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — A man was arrested in connection to an assault that led to the death of a cab dispatcher in Manhattan, according to the NYPD.

Jaime Rosario, 54, was taken into custody on June 24 on an assault charge, police said.

The victim, Efron Patino, 53, was working the cab stand out in front of the Riu Hotel on West 47th Street on June 18, according to the NYPD.

Patino was assigning fares to the cabs as guests come out of the hotel and for some reason, he had to skip a driver, police said.

At this time, Rosario, aggressively confronted Patino and punched in him the face, knocking him unconscious, police said. Patino fell, hitting his head on the concrete.

Patino fell into a coma and passed away on June 27, police said.

Upon further investigation, Rosario’s charge was dropped from second-degree assault to third-degree assault and he was released on his own recognizance, police said.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org , downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here .

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