Queens man dies months after sucker punch robbery

Stacey Sager Image
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
wabc

ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- A 66-year-old Queens man has died months after he was sucker-punched following a cell phone robbery.

The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, 2017 on Hillside Avenue near 167th Street in Jamaica.

Mohammad Alam was talking on his cell phone when police say a young man grabbed it from his ear and fled on foot heading westbound on Hillside Avenue. Alam gave chase, but as he ran down the sidwalk, authorities say a second teenager punched him in the side of the head. The harrowing assault was caught on surveillance camera.

Two suspects are under arrest, while the victim remains hospitalized

Alam sustained a contusion to the head and was transported to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was listed critical condition before passing away four months later.

The father of two had a disabled wife and was her caregiver, and relatives say he moved here from Bangladesh a few years ago to have access to better medical care.

Police later arrested 16-year-old Shyquan Kimble and 16-year-old Jaleel Steele, both of Queens. They are charged with robbery and assault, but it now expected that those charges will be upgraded.

----------

* More Queens news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts