Borough Park man killed while visiting Colombia
A funeral was held in Brooklyn on Friday for Nuchem Aber, a member of the Jewish Hasidic community.
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An investigation is underway after authorities said a Borough Park man was murdered while visiting Colombia.
A funeral was held in Brooklyn on Friday for Nuchem Aber, a member of the Jewish Hasidic community.
A friend of the victim told News 12 that he had known Aber for more than 30 years.
“Nobody expected this, especially a close friend like me,” said Yossi, who only gave his first name. “I’m still in shock, and this whole week I didn’t sleep much.”
According to Colombian news reports, the 51-year-old victim was robbed and killed by a local gang.
Colombian Sen. Lorena Rios Cuellar expressed her condolences on social media and demanded justice, calling the violent murder “an atrocious act.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombia told News12 "We aware of the reports regarding the death of a U.S. citizen in Colombia. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of this individual. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment at this time."
Yossi said he spoke to Aber on the phone just days before he disappeared on April 21.
“He was very upbeat that he was potentially going to find a new wife and that he could build a new family,” said Yossi. “I wouldn’t say he was concerned about anything.”
Yossi told News 12 that Aber had gotten divorced about five years ago and had four adult children. He traveled to Colombia in early April.
“He told me he was going for Passover with one of the local rabbis that has a community in Bogota,” said Yossi. “He was going to spend the Passover holiday with him and he’s going to try to find a new wife.”
Aber was originally from Canada and worked in real estate.
“He was going back and forth, I understand, from Colombia back and forth for the last half year maybe,” said Yossi.
A source told News 12 that Aber’s body was being flown to Israel over the weekend.
