NYPD arrests former Marine and school aide for murder of Brooklyn jogger
A Department of Education employee with documented mental health issues was arrested and charged with murder in the stabbing death of a jogger, prompting lawmakers to call for an investigation into his hiring.
The New York Police Department arrested 27-year-old Sayed Mohassib on Saturday and charged him with murder, possession of a weapon and tampering with evidence in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old Katie Suarez on Shore Parkway. Suarez was found unconscious with a neck wound after she failed to meet her father at a scheduled time, police said.
City officials said Mohassib, who had been discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps for psychiatric reasons and briefly served with the NYPD before becoming a substitute school aide, was immediately suspended by the Department of Education and will be terminated pending a conviction. The department did not name the school where he worked but said it is providing additional resources and support to the school community.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes, City Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso and Assemblymember-elect Chris McCreight issued a joint statement noting that, although Mohassib had no criminal record, his psychiatric history raises serious questions about his employment in a public school. They are demanding a full investigation into the circumstances of his hiring.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny briefed reporters on the incident, describing Suarez’s routine run and the timeline of calls with her father, who discovered her injured near a tree at about 8:16 p.m. He added that the trail where the attack occurred is not covered by surveillance cameras and is frequently used by runners, cyclists and fishermen.