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A Brooklyn cafe owner found shot to death — his body burned — in the woods of eastern Pennsylvania was struggling with massive debt at the time he disappeared, law-enforcement sources and acquaintances said yesterday.
Although his muffins and coffee were popular in the neighborhood, novice entrepreneur Joshua Rubin’s Whisk Bakery Cafe in Ditmas Park owed at least $14,000 to creditors at the time of his Halloween disappearance, sources said.
And before he vanished, the 30-year-old appeared to have unrealistic expectations about making his business viable, according to acquaintances.
“He told me he was putting up $25,000 and I said expect to double that,” said Bruce Tenami, who runs Famous Pita on Newkirk Avenue near Rubin’s now-shuttered cafe. “He said, ‘If I double it, I’m going to be dead.’ ”
Rubin never made it to his cafe on Oct. 31.
Investigators believe he got into the car of someone he knew on the day he vanished.
The next day, his still-burning body was found outside Allentown, Pa., about two hours from Brooklyn, but the remains weren’t identified as Rubin’s until Wednesday.
A road crew initially mistook the corpse for a burning, fallen power line, sources said.
“The investigation into the homicide has really just begun within the last five days,” said Lehigh County, Pa., District Attorney James Martin.
“He was burned beyond recognition. There was nothing left of him except some skeletal remains, bits of tissue, bits of clothing.”
He had been shot once in the chest.
“Well, it’s very weird,” Martin said. “Our working theory — he was probably shot and killed at a different location and taken to the location and dumped.”
Rubin’s credit card was used at the Woodbury Common mall in Orange County, NY, a day after his body was found.
Rubin’s stepfather, Ben Taube, said the family declined to comment.
Chris Houghton, president of the co-op that rented space to Rubin, said his rent was paid up at the time of his disappearance.
“He didn’t owe a dime of money to us,” he said. “It’s very sad. He was a great guy, just a young entrepreneur with a great business down there.”
In addition to struggling financially, Rubin, a Rhode Island native, also battled with bipolar disorder, sources said. He had tried to kill himself on Sept. 13, sources said.
Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick