WESX-AM Salem-Boston, MA host Pelagio de la Cruz was nearly killed in a brutal baseball bat beating on a visit to New York in September, but he’s now on the mend. In an interview with WBZ-TV Boston, de la Cruz said he hopes to be back on the air in a few months.
It appears de la Cruz was just in the wrong place at the wrong time – trying to visit his children in New York when a couple of thugs decided to beat and rob him. The vicious attack was caught on a video surveillance camera, leading to the arrests of two men in just days.
After being in a coma for two weeks, there was considerable doubt about just how much of a recovery was possible. Yes, he lost the hearing in his right ear, several teeth and nearly lost his right eye, the WBZ report said. And there’s a metal plate in his head where he took the blows from the bat. But he told the TV station that he’s grateful to family, friends and God. He has some dizziness and is trying to get some missing memories back. In a few months, though, de la Cruz hopes to be back behind the mic hosting “Spanish Connection” on WESX.
Meanwhile, the two men arrested in the beating are due in court next month.
RBR/TVBR observation: The ability of the human body to repair itself is an amazing thing. No doubt we speak for many fellow broadcasters in hoping that Pelagio returns to radio and enjoys a long career.
