Man charged with murder as a hate crime in fatal NYC attack of Chinese man

A man has been charged with murder in the second degree as a hate crime in connection with a fatal attack against a Chinese man in New York City last year. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Thursday that Jarrod Powell had been indicted on the charge after Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant, died in December from injuries he sustained in an attack in April 2021.

Powell, then 49, allegedly attacked Ma while he was collecting cans in Harlem, running up behind him and knocking him to the ground. Powell is then alleged to have stomped Ma’s head multiple times and repeatedly kicked him in the face, head and neck, according to a press release from the Manhattan D.A.’s office.

A bus driver saw the alleged attack and called an ambulance, according to the release. Ma sustained a traumatic brain injury and was treated for facial fractures and brain bleeding and put on life support. 

It took the police four days to find and apprehend Powell, who claimed he was attacked by two Korean or Japanese men the day before allegedly attacking Ma. Powell said he did not report the attack or give any other description of the men, according to the district attorney’s office.

Ma died on Dec. 31 after spending months in the hospital following the assault. 

“The devastating death of Yao Pan Ma, a beloved father of two, occurred amidst a surge of anti-Asian attacks targeting our families, friends, neighbors, and New York values,” said Bragg in a statement. 

“As alleged, Jarrod Powell selectively attacked Mr. Ma for no other reason than his race. Tragically, our Office is currently prosecuting 33 hate crime cases driven by anti-Asian bias – unfortunately, the most we have had since our Hate Crimes Unit was established in 2010,” Bragg added.