Ronald Poppo, victim of Fla. 'face-eater' Rudy Eugene, was high school achiever

By: Casey Glynn
Topics: Daily Blotter

Ronald Poppo, victim of Fla. 'face-eating' man Rudy Eugene, needs months of treatment, permanently disfigured

Rudy Eugene and Ronald Poppo

/ CBS/Miami-Dade Police Dept.

(CBS/WFOR) MIAMI - Ronald Poppo, the 65-year-old homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off by Rudy Eugene along a busy Miami highway ramp, had been on the streets for over 30 years. But his sister remembers a different time.

Pictures: Fla. police identify "face-eating" naked man

"I remember a very intelligent boy," Antoinette Poppo told CBS Miami. "He went to a private school, and I really don't understand what happened."

A yearbook photo acquired by the Miami New Times showed Ronald Poppo was a decorated student at Stuyvesant High, one of New York City's most prestigious high schools.

According to the Miami Herald, the school's yearbook reveals that Poppo belonged to the Latin Club and earned a Bronze Scholarship Certificate.

A classmate, Dan Ruvin, told The Miami Herald that Poppo went on to City College of New York's uptown campus. The two reportedly lost touch after Ruvin joined the military.

Decades later, Poppo is in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital Wednesday with his nose, mouth, and eyes torn off of his face.

Poppo's family told CBS Miami that they hadn't heard from Ronald in 30 years.

"Well, I tried to reach him but I just thought he killed himself," Antoinette said. "And we really thought he was no longer on this earth."

Poppo's sister told CBS Miami that she had just recently learned of the attack.

"I'm very upset," Antoinette said while crying. "I'm just glad my mother isn't here to see this."

It's not clear why Poppo was attacked Saturday afternoon by 31-year-old Eugene. Police have released few details, but surveillance video from a nearby building shows Eugene pulling Poppo from the shade, stripping and pummeling him before appearing to hunch over and then lie on top of him.

A witness described Eugene ripping at Poppo's face with his mouth and growling at a Miami police officer who ordered him to get off the homeless man. The officer then shot and killed Eugene.

Complete coverage of Rudy Eugene on Crimesider

12 Photos

Fla. police identify "face-eating" naked man

View the Full Gallery »

7 Comments +

Add a Comment


by conspiritech June 1, 2012 9:25 AM EDT: i believe this an ambien case, based on my knowledge... not meth coke or 4-methoxy-methcathinone (bath salts) as that other website suggested; Reply to this comment


by audemus May 31, 2012 4:44 PM EDT: Unfortunately there are way too many people out there who are homeless and all but forgotten by family and friends.

This is one of the most shameful realities our country faces, and were it not for the fact that we all know that something more could be done to alleviate this problem, it would be all too easy to just look the other way and ignore it. It may not be "politically popular" to say that we can do better than this, but....we can do better than this.

Because we as a society chose to look the other way, a man is dead, another one is disfigured for life and a cop that did his duty, will have to live with the fact that he had to take someone's life, for the rest of his...this is not acceptable, there is a better way....and before you start raving about the cost of intervening in these peoples' lives, think about the high cost that is always paid when we do nothing....that price is what was paid here, in full.; Reply to this comment


by dmh813 May 31, 2012 4:20 PM EDT: The victim of the Miami Zombie Attack needs our help & donations. Please pass on the link and/or tweet the link to your friends
https://transaxt.com/Donate/6GZ8EF/VictimOfTheMiamiZombieRonaldPoppo/; Reply to this comment


by onefeather2 May 31, 2012 2:27 PM EDT: Wish the best for the recovery of the Ronald. The one shot got what he deserved, read in the news he had been violent before.; Reply to this comment


by stout77 May 31, 2012 1:34 PM EDT: Hopefully his family and community can get this man the help he needs to have a better life if he can recover. We definitely cannot just throw him back out in the streets. A good start would be for a capable plastic surgeon (or several - it sounds like he will need a series of reconstructive efforts) to step forward with some pro bono services. From there, it could just be a matter of finding the right medication, if he's psychologically impaired in some way, for him to at least have some semblance of a decent life. That being said, I have talked to many homeless people who simply prefer living in the streets, so obviously his wishes would have to come first. Hang in there Ronald - we'll get you some help if you want it.; Reply to this comment


by Roarke99 May 31, 2012 12:52 PM EDT: He's apparently a very bright guy and yet he's been living on the street for around three decades and his family thought he was most likely dead. He must have had a tough time of it over the years and now this. Poor guy.; Reply to this comment