The man accused by authorities of killing a Chinese food delivery man in April was found dead by sheriffs with a gunshot wound to his head Friday, the man’s attorney said.
Glenn Hirsch, 51, was out on $500,000 bail and ordered by a judge to wear an ankle bracelet. When he did not show up to a court appearance Friday, the judge asked a city sheriff to track him down, Hirsch’s attorney Arthur Aidala told NY1.
“He was very adamant about his innocence throughout from the day of his arrest until today,” Aidala said. “We were very prepared to fight this case in the courtroom.”
Police confirmed a man was found dead at the Briarwood address where Hirsch lived, but did not identify the man. The city medical examiner’s office said would not have further information to provide until Saturday.
In June, Hirsch was arrested for the April shooting. At the time, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Hirsch allegedly killed delivery driver Zhiwen Yan because “a petty dispute over a take-out order became an obsessive point of contention for the defendant.”
Prosecutors accused Hirsch of stalking and harassing employees at Great Wall Chinese Restaurant for months after a November 2021 incident. According to prosecutors, Hirsch asked for extra duck sauce packets with his order during that incident, which he was given, but he still became angered and subsequently demanded a refund.
In a later incident, Hirsch allegedly vandalized a worker’s car and told Yan he had a gun. In another separate incident, authorities said Hirsch pointed a firearm at a worker shoveling snow and said, “Remember me? I will kill your entire family,” before then slashing the worker’s tires.
On April 30, officials said Hirsch passed the Queens Boulevard restaurants seven times before approaching Yan and fatally shooting him in the chest.
Hirsch had been indicted on murder and stalking charges, among others. He faced up to life in prison.
“The loss of a human life is always tragic. Obviously, we would have preferred to try Mr. Glenn Hirsch for the calculated murder of Mr. Zhiwen Yan in a court of law, but this is no longer an option,” Katz said in a statement Friday. “We once again express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zhiwen Yan, who continue to grieve his tragic and senseless loss.”