A Boston man, Ralph Manecke, 56, lost his life in a tragic robbery incident while vacationing in the Philippines with his partner, Jerald Ceasar Tornea, who hails from the Philippines. The unfortunate event took place on the same crime-ridden island where an American YouTuber was abducted last year, as per the information provided by the police.
Manecke was in the process of withdrawing around $800 from an ATM in the town of Trento on a Wednesday night when he was ambushed by a helmet-clad attacker. The assailant appeared from an SUV just as Manecke and Tornea had secured the withdrawn cash in their bag, according to the police.
The robber, whose identity was hidden, forcefully snatched the bag from Tornea and shot Manecke in the stomach before fleeing the scene. Tornea narrated the terrifying ordeal to the police, mentioning that the attacker had approached them from an SUV that had parked next to them.
Tornea detailed the horrifying encounter, stating that the man had initially greeted them before pulling out a gun. He threatened Manecke to stay still, which left Tornea frozen with fear. After Tornea fell to the ground, the robber grabbed the bag and fired a shot.
Eyewitnesses managed to record distressing footage of a distraught Tornea cradling Manecke’s lifeless body in the street before the police arrived. Manecke was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
The investigation into the deadly robbery is still underway. The incident occurred on the southern island of Mindanao, the same place where Elliot Onil Eastman, a 26-year-old YouTuber from Vermont, was kidnapped at gunpoint from his in-laws’ home in October of the previous year. Eastman, who had recently tied the knot, was whisked away in a motorboat and his whereabouts remain unknown.