Elderly Sikh Man Dies in New York After Being Repeatedly Punched

On 19 Oct around 12 p.m, Jasmer Singh and Gilbert Augustin’s cars collided on the Van Wyck Expressway near Hillside Avenue in Kew Gardens. Both cars had dents and scratches. As Singh pulled out his phone, prosecutors say witnesses heard Augustin say, ‘no police, no police.’ 30-year-old Augustin hit 60-year-old Singh on his head and repeatedly punched him. Singh was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens in critical condition where he died of a brain injury the next day. Augustin was arrested on 20 Oct and charged with manslaughter and assault. Jasmer Singh's son Multani stated, ‘The guy was addressing my father with his costumes, with his turbans. There was no reason for someone to go in that intensity. My father was targeted and it is a possible hate crime.’ New York Mayor Eric Adams, wrote on X, ‘Jasmer Singh loved this city and deserved so much more,’ further telling the Sikh community, ‘We reject this hatred that took this innocent life and we will protect you.’ The hate crime charges were filed. On 17 Oct, an unidentified person assaulted a 19-year-old Sikh in New York for wearing a turban on a shuttle bus. On 17 Oct, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its annual report of hate crimes statistics for 2022. The data shows a 7% increase from 2021 to 2022. Anti-Sikh hate crimes were recorded as the highest number ever at 198. Sikhs remain the second-most targeted group in the United States for religiously motivated hate crimes.