Who was Robert De Niro's grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez? All you need to know as 5 charged in connection with 19-year-old's overdose death

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was the son of Carlos Rodriguez and Drena De Niro and a grandson of Robert De Niro. The nineteen-year-old died in July 2023 due to an accidental overdose.

According to the recent reports by NBC New York, authorities have taken five people, identified as Eddie Barreto, Bruce Epperson, Roy Nicolas, John Nicolas, and Grant McIver, into custody in connection with Rodriguez’s overdose.

HSI New York special agent in charge Ricky Patel told BBC:

"Through their alleged actions, these defendants left behind a trail of irreversible loss that cut short the lives of three teenagers who held boundless potential and who had already made profound, immeasurable impacts on those who knew them"

The other two teenagers were Akira Stein and another individual whose identity has not been released.

Who was Leandro De Niro Rodriguez?

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was an actor who worked on a number of projects, which include The Collection, Cabaret Maxime, and A Star Is Born. His mother, Drena, is an actress known for A Star Is Born and Joy. His father, Carlos, is an artist who runs his own website where he sells his artwork.

After his death, the family also opened The Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports:

"families impacted by the opioid, fentanyl, and synthetic drug crisis."

Over the years, Rodriguez’s mother, Drena De Niro, has shared many posts on social media remembering her son. In a post uploaded in July on Leandro De Niro Rodriguez's death anniversary, she wrote:

"Thank you for giving me the happiest 19 years ( well 20 counting the time in my belly ) of my entire life .. I didn’t just lose my son when I lost you , I lost my best friend ,my in-house comedian , my very own little rock star. I miss the conversations I miss the laughs , I miss the hugs , the stories ,the dancing , the adventures, we had so many .. good and bad but we were together ."

Admiring Leo and thanking everyone, she wrote:

"You were my biggest blessing Thank you baby , thank you @carlosmare and thank you to everyone of you who held us in your hearts and prayers who held us in your arms , sent msgs , took care of me ,painted pictures and murals , made me tokens from your heart to remind me of him and made sure to let me know that you were thinking of me ."

Earlier this week, Carlos also uploaded an Instagram post with a photo of him and Leandro with the caption:

"Im not alone in this, countless families loose their young ones too soon. I hug you as many have me, it takes time but time doesn’t heal it gives is distance and perspective of what truly mattered."

As of now, the family has not publicly commented on the recent arrests connected to his case.

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