A Miami man's date night turned into a nightmare after he was reportedly drugged, robbed, and blackmailed by a man he met on Grindr, police say. The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, told authorities he invited 32-year-old Gabriel Luciano to his NE 7th Avenue apartment after connecting on the popular LGBTQ dating app, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC Miami.
Once Luciano arrived at the apartment on September 29, they started drinking, but the victim realized his drink tasted bitter and soon after he became disoriented, the arrest report details the victim's account as he eventually lost consciousness after that encounter, the man awoke to find his apartment ransacked, his possessions worth thousands gone, and his personal accounts hacked. In a chilling twist, a threatening note was left behind warning the victim against speaking out, "If you so much as talk about this morning...I will ruin your life," the suspect allegedly wrote.
Miami Police used surveillance footage to track down Luciano, and Public Information Officer Mike Vega highlighted the importance of caution in such encounters, saying, "This is something that we talk about all the time, If you don't know who you're inviting home, do not accept a drink from that person, do not drink a drink that you didn't prepare yourself," Vega told NBC Miami. Luciano was subsequently arrested, charged with extortion and grand theft robbery, and appeared before a judge, and despite the severity of the accusations, he's been released on bail.
In a concerning pattern that echoes the dangers inherent in online dating, the incident has prompted police warnings urging individuals to exercise extreme caution when meeting strangers. Grindr has yet to issue a formal response to a request for comment received by NBC's sister station, Telemundo51, about the disturbing event casting a shadow over the app's community.
