On a Thursday night in Newburgh, New York, a 51-year-old taxi driver named Jorge Arbayza de la Cruz was working his regular shift, a job he diligently performed seven days a week to make a living. An immigrant from Peru who had come to the United States in 2015, he was known by friends and family as a good-hearted man. That evening, on September 30, 2021, his life was tragically cut short in what police described as a taxi cab robbery that went horribly wrong.
While dropping off a
passenger on North Miller Street around 9 p.m., a struggle ensued when the fare allegedly attempted to rob him at gunpoint. During the confrontation, Arbayza de la Cruz was shot twice. The passenger then fled the scene, leaving the dedicated cab driver mortally wounded. Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. In the days that followed, his grieving family, friends, and fellow cab drivers gathered for vigils and marches, pleading for justice for the man they affectionately called 'Coky.' His family also offered a significant reward for information that would lead to the capture of his killer.
For years, the case remained a priority for the City of Newburgh detectives, whose investigation spanned multiple states. Finally, in April of 2025, a significant breakthrough was announced. Three men were indicted in connection with the murder of Jorge Arbayza de la Cruz. Nehemiah Clarke, 20, and Jordan Burch, 19, were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery. Damani Cruz, 20, along with Clarke, faced a charge of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Burch was also charged with tampering with physical evidence, and all three defendants were charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, among other related crimes.
The arrests brought a measure of hope to a community that had long awaited answers. Clarke, a resident of the Town of Newburgh, was apprehended in South Carolina where he had enlisted in the U.S. military. Burch, a resident of the City of Newburgh, was arrested in Hartford, Connecticut, while Cruz, also from Newburgh, was already in custody on an unrelated matter. The arraignment of the three suspects marked a long-awaited step towards justice for Jorge Arbayza de la Cruz, whose life was senselessly taken during a violent and tragic robbery.
