NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Queens family is calling for hate crime charges after a Sikh man was killed last week during a road-rage confrontation allegedly sparked by a fender bender on the Van Wyck Expressway.
Jasmer Singh, 68, died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on Friday, a day after he was rushed there in critical condition following Thursday afternoon's attack on the expressway, near Hillside Avenue in Kew Gardens, police said.
The 30-year-old suspect, Gilbert Augustin, of Queens, was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with manslaughter, assault, aggravated unlicensed operator, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Singh's son told CBS New York that his father was driving his wife to a doctor's appointment ahead of a trip to India when he accidentally bumped another car on the Van Wyck and was attacked.
"My father's skull was broken," he said. "Two front teeth was gone."
The family believes Singh's Sikh faith, including a turban he wore, played a role.
"The guy was addressing my father with his costumes, with his turbans," his son said. "There was no reason for someone to go in that intensity."
The NYPD has not said it's investigating Singh's death as a hate crime.
Mayor Eric Adams referred to "hatred" as he reacted Sunday to the case, writing on the X social media platform that "Jasmer Singh loved his city and deserved so much more than his tragic death."
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want our Sikh community to know you have more than our condolences," the mayor wrote. "You have our sacred vow that we reject the hatred that took this innocent life and we will protect you."
Adams' post includes a photo of a mortally injured Singh in a hospital bed.
In an unrelated incident in Queens just last week, a 26-year-old man was arrested on hate crime charges after he allegedly attacked a Sikh man wearing a turban on a city bus in Ozone Park. According to police, he told the victim, "We don’t wear that in this country," before pummeling him and trying to remove the turban.