Asian Man Dies From Injuries Sustained In April Beating: NYPD

EAST HARLEM, NY — The 61-year-old Chinese immigrant who was brutally assaulted in April while collecting cans in East Harlem has died, and his case is now considered a homicide, New York Police said Sunday.

Yao Pan Ma "succumbed to his injuries" Dec. 31, and the investigation into the attack is still ongoing, police told Patch.

Surveillance video of the attack on April 24, 2021, showed Ma being pushed to the ground by a man hitting him in the back and continuing to kick him in the head. Ma was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Jarrod Powell, 49, was arrested three days after the attack and was charged with attempted murder and two counts of assault as a hate crime. The attack was part of a spike in targeted attacks of people of Asian descent in New York and across the United States.

“We’re calling on the District Attorney’s Office to upgrade the charges to murder now,” Karlin Chan, a community activist in New York City and a spokesman for Ma’s family, told The Associated Press. “We're fighting for justice and I hope [Powell] never walks the streets as a free man. He needs to pay for what he did."

Ma never regained consciousness after the attack and his condition continued to deteriorate over time, Chan said. Ma was moved in and out of multiple facilities during the past eight months, ultimately dying in a long-term care center run by The New Jewish Home, Chan said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related coverage:

• Arrest Made In Beating Of Asian Man In East Harlem, Police Say
• After Asian Man's Beating In Harlem, Search For Suspect Continues
• Asian Man Attacked In Harlem; NYPD Seeks Suspect Caught On Video