A Manhattan man admitted to attacking a Chinese immigrant in East Harlem, which led to his death in 2021, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Thursday.
Jarrod Powell, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of first degree manslaughter as a hate crime in connection to the death of 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma.
“This unprovoked attack took the life of Yao Pan Ma and took away a sense of security for so many in the AAPI community in New York,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Jarrod Powell attacked Mr. Ma because of his race and is now being held accountable. My thoughts are with Mr. Ma’s family and friends as they continue to mourn this loss.”
According to court documents, at 8:15 p.m. on April 23, 2021, Powell saw Ma, who weighed 114 pounds, on the corner of 125th Street and 3rd Avenue and proceeded to approach him from behind. Powell then struck Ma, knocking him to the ground, and then Powell proceeded to stomp Ma’s head multiple times and repeatedly kicked Ma in the head face and neck.
Powell then fled the scene as Ma was unconscious on the street corner. An MTA bus driver that witnessed the attack flagged down a nearby ambulance and EMS transported Ma to Harlem Hospital, where he was treated for facial fractures and bleeding on the brain.
Ma suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack and was later placed on life support. He ultimately died of his injuries on Dec. 31, 2021.
Powell was taken into custody on April 27, 2021, after being identified through video surveillance footage. Following his arrest, Powell told law enforcement that he was attacked by two Korean or Japanese men the day before he attacked Ma, and subsequently admitted that he did not report the alleged robbery to police and did not provide a description of his alleged assailants beyond their racial identities.
Powell admitted that he targeted Ma because he was Asian. Powell is set to be sentenced to 22 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision on March 9.
