ט׳ מרחשון ה׳תשפ״ו | October 30, 2025
Crown Heights Man Found Dead After Basement Flood
Aaron Akaberi, a problematic man long known in the Crown Heights community, was found dead inside his basement apartment on Kingston Avenue near Midwood Street after hours of intense rainfall flooded large sections of the neighborhood.
Aaron Akaberi, a convicted drug dealer long known in the Crown Heights community, was found dead Thursday afternoon inside his basement apartment on Kingston Avenue near Midwood Street after hours of intense rainfall flooded large sections of the neighborhood.
Firefighters removed Akaberi’s body from the water-filled apartment and transported him to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Akaberi had a long record of criminal convictions and arrests, including charges for operating crack houses and distributing dangerous narcotics. In one instance, he was arrested in connection with a raid at a local youth center where police discovered hallucinogens, weapons, and cash. A year later, he was charged again following a major narcotics operation that uncovered large quantities of drugs and trafficking equipment. He was later rearrested on multiple felony counts after being found with various controlled substances and significant amounts of money.
In later years, Akaberi was linked to disturbances and unsafe conditions in a Crown Heights property where neighbors reported tents, portable toilets, unleashed dogs, loud music, and even chickens kept outside residential windows. Police and fire crews responded to multiple incidents at the location following reports of threats, fights, and drug use.
After repeated incidents of disruptive and threatening behavior, the management of 770 Eastern Parkway formally banned him from entering the property.
Police have not yet released an official cause of death, and the medical examiner has not issued a report. Authorities said investigations are continuing into the circumstances surrounding the discovery.
COMMENTS
Is it really necessary, after his death, to reiterate all his crimes?
Doesn’t such a divinely decreed death atone?
No good can be served by telling everyone what a dead man did.
Responsible for a few deaths in our community
No there was no Devine decree for atonement here. Interesting that god took this man in a flood? No not so much? This man was not a tragic loss in his death, that’s mercy. This man was a tragic loss in his life. A highly intelligent man whose neshema was possessed and who much like lord Vader of Star Wars chose the dark side over light. His deeds hurt good people and cost some thier own lives long before he had passed.
So yes it is necessary to list the deeds of the man’s life so as to not martyr or celebrate him. He was offered tremendous opportunities for Tishuva but was incapable of seeing his own needs to do so. It is sad to lose any souls Jew or otherwise but also important to be clear in reporting who they were in their life. He made those choices and they don’t get buried with him.
May his neshama have an Aliya.
Baruch Dayan emes… Aaron Akaberi
They say he provided substances that teenage youth became fatally dosed with. I lost friends to drugs variety over the years, myself used drugs (prescribed and not) in the past as well, i invite you to choose truth over denial that the teens were desperate to escape/dissociate/tolerate/ numb/relief etc… they had a deathwish, unresolved trauma, infection in inner conflict, destructive impulse without catharsis; theyd go through someone else if not him. The parents like to blame outsiders for the damage they did to their own children when the children are no longer there to testify how they used drugs to cope with their family sickness/dysfunction.
The bigger question is, why is it that the good doers and kind people who are just looking to help people, get harassed, berated in public settings, and straight out bullied, ultimately lose their own oomph in life and end up either leaving CH all together, or stepping away from trying to help people. But such a person, nothing! He was allowed to rome the streets freely, terrorizing small children, women and girls, and not one “Askan” stepped up to get rid of him!
Allow me to explain, kol yisroel areivim zeh lzeh, every yid must take responsibility for other yidden like it is their own brother (cause after all we are one big family. Bnei avraham, yitzchok, vyaakov), as an “askan” would you sit back and watch someone destroy the life of your younger brother, your son. Terrorize your wife, daughters, sisters etc?
Maybe ch needs to start asking if their “askanim” have the right intentions for them, or is it all selfish. If you’re power hungry, work to become an elected official, if you’re not elected, it’s because this is not for you! Move on, become the gabbai in a shul! Stay away from community work if you can’t help it!
In many peoples opinion, there should have signs all over ch, signs in schools “stay far away from this guy he’s dangerous!” If he was an outside rabbi, his face, his name, everything he ever did wrong in his life would be known to all, and what is he trying to do, Make a better life for his family? Make a better life in Torah for those around him? And a murderer!? Nothing!
I just want to point out, this drug pusher wasn’t the first, and definitely wasn’t the first who had kids crack up from it, and worse passed away. There used to be a guy who looked very frum, who was a full on drug dealer in ch, in 770, always talking to the kids, yet… nothing was done!
Ask yourselves, are we doing what’s best for our children? Who can honestly, wholeheartedly stand up and say ״ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה״ of all children who fall off, or fall victim r”l! And it’s time to point fingers inward…
@harassment,
Being banned from 770 and almost every shul in CH
MEANS A LOT for the community. Forcing him to leave CH may have been proven difficult.
He should have never been allowed to leave
jail after the first time he was arrested.
The legal system was too soft on him.
He got a few near death beatings outside 770 and around ch if anyone is to blame than it’s the police because they stopped the bochurim from finishing the job.
When he was alive and a danger, you didn’t say anything.
Now that he’s dead it’s completely unnecessary.
Nobody will benefit from knowing this gossip
On one hand your saying that all the good people get all the blame until they are burnt out then you go on to do the very same thing. Blame the Askonim.. you’re mad at the people that actually do something for not doing more while you have no criticism for everyone else..