An argument last year over duck sauce led to the killing of a Chinese restaurant deliveryman, Zhiwen Yan, 45, April 30, in Queens, NY.
Glenn Hirsch, 51, a hoarder of duck sauce and other condiments, has been indicted for fatally shooting Mr. Yan.
Hirsch, of Briarwood, Queens, was arrested last week, charged with murder and criminal possession of firearms.
It took police over a month to gather enough evidence to make the arrest and for the grand jury to indict Hirsch.
According to police, Hirsch was seen on surveillance footage near the restaurant for an hour on the night of the murder, and he was seen following the deliveryman before he shot him. Mr. Yan, who left China 20 years ago, and was married with three children, was making a delivery on his scooter in Forest Hills. He was shot once in the chest and was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital.
According to Kai Yang, owner of the Great Wall Chinese restaurant in Forest Hills, Queens, at the end of last year a customer, allegedly Mr. Hirsch, after requesting duck sauce with his order, helped himself to the entire bin of duck sauce packs on the counter.
Unsatisfied, he demanded more, and then asked for his money back. The owner refused, and according to the owner, the police were called and arrived at the restaurant. “I give him more. He say, ‘No, I want my money back,’ ” Yang said. “I say, ‘Sorry, it’s COVID, I can’t take your order back after, and I give you more duck sauce.’ He calls police! They came. They ask me if I can refund his money. I say, ‘No, I can not.’ ”
After the incident, Mr. Yang started to experience a series of disturbing events. He reported his car tires were slashed, and on one occasion, the customer was caught in the act of damaging the owner’s car. Mr. Yang said he had a gun, and was wrestled to the ground by employees, including Mr. Yan, the deliveryman, before the police came.
Although the owner of the restaurant called the police several times after the incident, the suspect was not charged with any crimes until June, when he was arrested, and a stash of duck sauce and other restaurant condiments were found in his refrigerator.
Another employee of the restaurant said that the irate, crazed Hirsch would often wait on the sidewalk and harass the owner and the deliveryman.
According to police sources, the car that sped away from the crime scene is a gray Lexus RX3 SUV, which is the same car that Hirsch drives.
At a candlelight vigil, Mr. Yan’s devastated wife, Kunying Zhao, cried, “I want to know why since last November his boss and colleagues have been threatened multiple times and nobody could protect them. I want to know why!” “New York City, you owe me a life … you owe me a husband … you owe an explanation to the Chinese community,” she said through an interpreter.
