John Sarquiz, a 55-year-old man who was knocked unconscious during a brutal assault in front of a warehouse near his home in Brooklyn (NYC), died after spending five days in the hospital, police sources said.
Sarquiz was standing outside Dean Mini Market on 13th Avenue near 73rd Street, Dyker Heights, around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday when a man struck him from behind, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head. head, according to NYPD. The assailant then continued to attack Sarquiz, kicking him before stealing him.
We are deeply disappointed in why society allows repeat criminals to take to the streets to inflict more damage.”
Christina Sarquiz, sister of the victim
“They hit him on the head from behind and he fell to the ground, and then they kicked him [repetidamente] on the head and they beat him, and they stole his money and his jewels,” he told the New York Post his grieving younger sister, Christina Sarquiz.
The suspect got away and headed south on 13th Avenue, police said. “With the help of our parish priest, we were able to understand that the five days we kept him alive but unconscious were a gift from God,” his sister said through tears. “And we were grateful to have that time to spend with him and say goodbye.”
John was “especially devoted to my mother” and has cared for her since her father passed away in 2014, Christina said. The victim had three sisters in total.
It is not clear if it was a random attack. Apparently the suspect “is known in the neighborhood. We also learned that this person has a record and has been in and out of prison,” Christina said. “And to our devastation, we are sorely disappointed in why society allows repeat criminals to take to the streets to inflict more damage.”
No arrests have been made or suspects identified. Anyone with information should call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Also through crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.
In New York the interior and surroundings of warehouses are frequently crime scenes, both robberies and homicides. NYPD has warned since last year of growing insecurity in businesses and warehouses, including violent attacks on employees and owners.
Last month, a Hispanic man was sentenced to a minimum of 75 years in prison for opening fire on several people inside a warehouse on Long Island (NY) in 2020, killing the owner and a customer and leaving two seriously injured.
In early March, a 67-year-old grocery store worker was shot to death during an apparent robbery on the Upper East Side, considered a “safe” area of Manhattan. In February, a man shot his co-worker in the head in front of a child inside a warehouse in Buffalo (NY).
In a recent statement, the advocacy group Collective Action to Protect Our Stores (CAPS-NY), which represents nearly 4,000 stores, including supermarkets and bodegas in the New York metropolitan area, has said that politicians must do more to protect owners and workers.
Many owners have opted to reduce hours and lock up merchandise in the face of a rise in thefts at stores, pharmacies and bodegas, including deadly attacks on employees and customers.
- Pizza worker shot during robbery in New York
- Hispanics robbed ATMs in 19 warehouses: accusation in New York