Zhiwen Yan, a 45-year-old Chinese immigrant, was a beloved figure in his Forest Hills, Queens community. For over two decades, he diligently worked at the Great Wall, a local Chinese restaurant, holding down three jobs to provide for his wife and three children. Known for his friendly demeanor and constant smile, he was a familiar sight on his scooter, making deliveries in all kinds of weather.
His hard work was aimed at securing a better future for his family, a dream he pursued with unwavering dedication.
On the night of April 30, 2022, Yan's life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence. After completing a delivery, he was stopped at a red light on his scooter at the intersection of 108th Street and 67th Drive when a man approached him on foot and shot him in the chest. The incident, captured on surveillance video, sent shockwaves through the quiet residential neighborhood. Yan was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were fatal. His sudden and violent death left his family heartbroken and a community in mourning.
The investigation into Yan's murder quickly focused on a disgruntled customer of the Great Wall restaurant, 51-year-old Glenn Hirsch. The dispute reportedly began months earlier, in November 2021, over an insufficient amount of duck sauce with Hirsch's order. This seemingly minor issue escalated into a months-long campaign of harassment and threats by Hirsch against the restaurant's staff. He was accused of menacing the restaurant manager with a gun and vandalizing an employee's car. On the night of the murder, surveillance footage showed Hirsch's vehicle circling the restaurant and following Yan as he left to make his final delivery.
In early June 2022, Glenn Hirsch was arrested and charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, stalking, and other charges. A search of his home revealed a refrigerator filled with duck sauce and other condiments, pointing to a strange obsession. Despite the seriousness of the charges and the prosecution's request that he be held without bail, Hirsch was later released on a $500,000 bond, a decision that sparked fear and outrage in the community.
The legal proceedings against Hirsch came to an abrupt end on August 5, 2022, when he was found dead in his home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, just before a scheduled court appearance. In a suicide note, Hirsch denied his involvement in Yan's murder. His death left Zhiwen Yan's family and the community with a sense of unresolved justice, forever grieving the loss of a hardworking and devoted family man whose life was taken over a trivial dispute.
