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Cops hunt for suspects in Jax Heights attack

Cops hunt for suspects in Jax Heights attack
By Rebecca Henely

An unidentified Hispanic man was either beaten or chased to his death late Halloween night in Jackson Heights in an incident that was originally reported to police as an automobile accident.

At about 8:50 p.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting a person had been struck by an automobile at the intersection of 91st Street and 37th Avenue, police said. Going on witness reports, the police originally reported that an unknown vehicle traveling eastbound on 37th Avenue struck the victim, identified only as a Hispanic man in his 40s, and fled the scene.

But police confirmed that a surveillance video revealed the victim was actually assaulted by a group of other Hispanic men. Police said it is still undetermined how many men attacked the victim.

Police also said there was speculation that the victim tried to get away from multiple gang members and hailed a cab. After he did so, the cab driver may have gotten spooked and driven away before the man could get inside, which caused the victim to lose his grip and slam into a parked car, police said. But they emphasized that this version of the incident had not been verified.

Emergency medical services responded to 91st Street and 37th Avenue and transported the victim to Elmhurst Hospital, where the victim was pronounced DOA.

There were no arrests and the investigation was ongoing as of press time Tuesday night, police said.

Police have not released the victim’s name. The Wall Street Journal reported that despite the identification of the victim as a 40-year-old, the victim may have been a 15-year-old runaway from Staten Island.

This is the first murder in the precinct to date, compared to five murders at this time last year, according to police statistics. There have been 268 felony assaults in the precinct compared to 276 last year, the statistics showed.

Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 718-260-4564.