Detectives have arrested a Sunnyside man accused of delivering a fatal punch to a foe during a fight outside a neighborhood bar early on Thanksgiving morning.
Steven O’Brien, 25, of 42nd Street was booked on Nov. 23 for assault in the death of fellow Sunnyside resident John McGee, 21, of 41st Street. Additional charges are pending the results of the ongoing investigation.
Law enforcement sources said McGee and O’Brien got into a fight outside of The Gas Light Bar, located at 43-17 Queens Blvd., just before 3:47 a.m. on Nov. 22.
During the dispute, police said, O’Brien allegedly punched McGee in the head, causing McGee to fall and strike his head against the sidewalk. O’Brien allegedly fled the scene.
Officers from the 108th Precinct and EMS units responded to a 911 call about the incident. Upon arrival, they found McGee with trauma to his head. Paramedics rushed him to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Mirror and The Irish Post reported that McGee was a native of Ireland and grew up in County Longford; he had been living in New York for about a year.
This story was updated on Nov. 23 at 6:40 p.m.
