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Briarwood man charged in murder of Chinese food delivery worker in Forest Hills commits suicide ahead of court hearing

Murder of delivery worker
Glenn Hirsch, seen above being escorted near the 112th Precinct, is out on bail as of June 27 after being charged with murder in connection with the April 30 shooting death of 45-year-old Zhiwen Yan. (Photo by Dean Moses)

Hirsch’s body was discovered in his apartment by police at approximately 10:06 a.m. Hirsch’s attorney confirmed with QNS that Hirsch had shot himself.

Hirsch had allegedly been upset with the restaurant that the delivery worker, Zhiwen Yan, worked for, The Great Wall Restaurant in Forest Hills. There was a feud over duck sauce that led to the murder, earning Hirsch the moniker “Duck Sauce Killer.”

He allegedly stalked and harassed workers from the restaurant. Hirsch was seen on surveillance video during the night of April 30 allegedly driving by the restaurant after dropping his wife off at work. He had passed by the restaurant seven times before Yan left the restaurant to make a delivery at around 9:30 p.m. Hirsch followed him as he made the delivery. When Yan stopped at a red light at 67th Drive and 108th Street after completing the delivery, Hirsch approached Yan and shot him in the chest, according to authorities. Yan had died as a result of a single gunshot wound. He was 45.

Yan food delivery shot Forest Hills murder
Zhiwen Yan, 45, was shot in the chest and killed while delivering food on his scooter at the corner of 108th Street and 67th Drive in Forest Hills on Saturday, April 30. (Photo via GoFundMe)

Hirsch’s brother paid for his $500,000 bail shortly after his arrest on June 1 for the murder and criminal possession of a weapon. While he was fitted with an electronic ankle monitor, many local leaders criticized Hirsch being eligible for bail over such a brutal charge.

While he did end up meeting the terms and conditions of his bail, he never had his day in court.

“The loss of a human life is always tragic,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “Obviously, we would have preferred to try Mr. Glenn Hirsch for the calculated murder of Mr. Zhiwen Yan in a court of law, but this is no longer an option. We once again express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zhiwen Yan, who continue to grieve his tragic and senseless loss.”