In the autumn of 2017, a grim fate awaited 20-year-old Jonathan Figueroa. On the evening of October 24th, he was lured from his home in Queens, New York, under false pretenses by Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, a member of the 18th Street gang. The gang suspected Figueroa of being a police informant, a betrayal they were determined to punish with brutal finality. Cruz-Mateo drove Figueroa upstate to Kingston, where other members of the gang were waiting. In the early hours of October 25, 2017, they took him to the secluded Turkey Point State Forest in Saugerties.
What transpired in the woods was a scene of calculated cruelty. On Cruz-Mateo's orders, the gang members repeatedly stabbed Figueroa, ultimately inflicting over 100 wounds. The horrific act was filmed, a gruesome directive from Cruz-Mateo who intended to use the video as a chilling warning to others who might consider cooperating with law enforcement. In the video, Cruz-Mateo is heard declaring that Figueroa was being murdered for being a 'rat.' After the savage attack, which included slashing his throat and amputating his ear, Figueroa's body was buried in a makeshift, five-foot-deep grave within the state forest.
The search for Jonathan Figueroa ended in February 2018, when his remains were discovered by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. The investigation led to the arrest of several members of the 18th Street gang. Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, a key figure in the murder, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges connected to Figueroa's death and another murder. For his role in the brutal slayings, Cruz-Mateo was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Another co-defendant, Israel Mediola Flores, also pleaded guilty to his involvement in Figueroa's murder and received a sentence of 425 months in prison. Other members of the gang who were involved have also faced legal consequences for their roles in the violent acts committed by their organization.
