Freehold Photographer Dies Of Injuries From Brutal Attack: Family

FREEHOLD, NJ — A professional photographer who was brutally beaten in the parking lot of his apartment complex and then run over with his own car in May has succumbed to his injuries, family members announced Thursday.

Jerry Wolkowitz, 56, died peacefully Thursday morning, surrounded by family and friends, said Christine King, who spoke on behalf of the family. He had been recuperating in an acute-care rehabilitation facility since Sept. 10, where he was moved after spending more than four months in the hospital following the May 1 attack. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Jamil S. Hubbard, 25, of Sayreville, who was arrested May 1 in what the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said was a racially motivated attack, is being held in the Monmouth County jail pending trial. He is charged with first-degree attempted murder, third-degree possession of a weapon (a motor vehicle) for an unlawful purpose and first-degree bias intimidation, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said in May. (READ MORE: Man Charged With Race-Based Beating Of Freehold Photographer)

"We will not discuss any changes to the charges at this time," the prosecutor's office said Thursday.

Wolkowitz, a professional photographer and freelance photojournalist for more than 30 years, was found lying in the parking lot of his apartment complex with injuries to his head and body about 7:15 a.m. on May 1 by Freehold Township police.

Prosecutors allege Hubbard approached Wolkowitz from behind and punched him in the head and face before dragging him into the parking lot, then ran over stole Wolkowitz's car and ran over him with it, Gramiccioni said. Wolkowitz's car was later discovered abandoned on Bordentown Avenue in Sayreville, Gramiccioni said. (READ MORE: Man Indicted In Bias Attack; Freehold Photographer Still In Coma)

Wolkowitz spent weeks in a coma before he was moved to the acute-care long term facility and though he was responsive, remained in a persistent vegetative state, his sister, Goldie Markowitz, said in updates on the GoFundme created in July and on a Facebook page, Help for Jerry Wolkowitz, that was created in May. (READ MORE: Freehold Photographer Out Of Hospital Following Brutal Attack)

Christine King said the money raised through the GoFundme will be used to pay for Wolkowitz's funeral expenses.

Wolkowitz was devoted to his family and friends, Goldie Markowitz wrote on one of the early posts about her brother. "Jerry has always had a strong connection and commitment to his family," she wrote. "He has been the primary caretaker for our parents, especially caring for them during their most vulnerable illnesses."

Their parents were Holocaust survivors, she wrote in another post.

Wolkowitz, who owned Capture the Moment Photography for 21 years, was a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and had a degree in meteorology. He was "a reporter, a writer, a first aid volunteer, a dedicated worker, a wonderful friend, and a devoted family man with a loving fiance," his sister wrote. He loved cats and adored his cat Misu.

"Jerry spent his life dedicated to helping others and has touched so many lives as a volunteer for the Freehold First Aid Squad, a reporter for the Asbury Park Press and The News Transcript, a driver for SAS Ambulance, and so much more," Goldie Markowitz wrote. "He is kindhearted, has a great sense of humor, and is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need."

"Please let love win and not hate," she wrote on the initial GoFundme post. "Please let only goodness and kindness in as that is what Jerry would have done."

Click here to contribute to the GoFundme to help with Wolkowitz's medical and legal expenses.

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Photo courtesy of GoFundme, a Patch partner