NEW YORK CITY — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced Wednesday the indictment of Jaime Rosario, 55, for fatally punching his coworker, 53-year-old Efrain Patino Guerra, outside the Riu Plaza Manhattan Times Square hotel in June. Rosario has been charged with one count each of Manslaughter in the First Degree and Criminally Negligent Homicide.
According to court records, the incident occurred on June 17, 2024, around 2 p.m. outside the hotel, located near West 47th Street and 7th Avenue. The two men, who both worked as taxi dispatchers, were involved in a dispute over the assignment of rides. As Patino Guerra attempted to walk away, Rosario followed him, shouting before delivering a punch to Patino Guerra’s jaw. The blow caused Patino Guerra to fall and hit the back of his head on the pavement. Rosario fled the scene, leaving his coworker unconscious on the sidewalk.
Emergency responders arrived minutes later and transported Patino Guerra to Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent several surgeries but remained in a coma until he died from his injuries on June 27. Rosario was arrested on June 24 by the NYPD Warrants Squad.
District Attorney Bragg expressed his condolences to Patino Guerra’s family and emphasized the gravity of the charges. “As alleged, Jaime Rosario punched and critically injured Efrain Patino Guerra in a brutal attack over a work-related dispute,” said Bragg. He added that the upgraded charges reflect the severity of Rosario’s conduct.
Assistant District Attorney Abel McDonnell is leading the prosecution under the supervision of Erin Tierney, Chief of Trial Bureau 30, and Lisa DelPizzo, Chief of the Trial Division. The case was investigated by the NYPD’s Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad and the Manhattan South Homicide Squad.