North Jersey Gas Attendant Came To U.S. For 'American Dream,' Ended Up Dead

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Fardin Ghadami Darounkolaee came to America from Iran in 2001 to give his wife and two daughters "a chance to live the American dream," according to his obituary. He worked two jobs — including at a gas station in Jersey City, near the Holland Tunnel. But last Aug. 21, at 2:48 a.m., police were called to the station to find him with a serious head injury.

Two weeks ago, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office was notified that Darounkolaee had died on May 13 in a hospital in Washington D.C.

On Wednesday, May 31, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit arrested Nixon Marquez, 26, of Jersey City, at their Secaucus office, prosecutors announced. There, they charged him with first-degree murder, an upgrade from his previous charge of assault.

They took Marquez to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.

While a press release from prosecutors on Wednesday evening lays out the details above, an obituary tells more about the kind of person Darounkolaee, 55, was before his death.

"Fardin and his wife immigrated from Iran in 2001 to give his two daughters a chance to live the American Dream," says the obituary from a D.C.-area funeral home. "His children were the light of his life which is why he sacrificed his own life for the sake of theirs. He came at the risk of not knowing anyone or any English. He ended up working two jobs to provide for his family."

"He always said 'life is too short to be anything but happy,'" the obituary continues. "Fardin had a big heart and was full of life. He was the most selfless person you could ever meet."

Middle-Of-The-Night Attack

Prosecutors said that on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022, at approximately 2:48 a.m., the Jersey City Police Department responded to the Shell gas station on the corner of Marin Boulevard and 14th Street, a strip of land in that heavily trafficked area near the Holland Tunnel and not far from the Hoboken border.

Officers found Darounkolaee, of Jersey City, with a serious head injury. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment.

On Monday, May 15, 2023, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office was notified that Darounkola had died at a Washington, D.C. hospital on Saturday, May 13.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be complications due to blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death to be homicide, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Last year, Marquez was charged with assault and weapons offenses relating to the matter, the prosecutor's office said. The charges were upgraded following the report by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Prosecutors did not release a motive or any other information on Wednesday.

"We may never understand why he was taken from us so soon, but we take comfort in knowing that he is now at peace," the obituary says.

Funeral services for Darounkolaee were held on May 18 in Virginia. Read his obituary here.