School Aide Sayed Mohassib Charged in 28-Year-Old Jogger's Killing as Police Probe Mental Health History
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Nov 8
School Aide Sayed Mohassib Charged in 28-Year-Old Jogger's Killing as Police Probe Mental Health History
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Nov 8
Summary
Sayed Mohassib, 27, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder in the Oct. 30 stabbing death of Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez, 28, in what police say was a random attack.
Surveillance footage helped identify Mohassib on the Belt Parkway bike path, and cameras later captured him dumping garbage near his home; investigators were searching a sanitation facility for discarded evidence.
Police said Mohassib told investigators he had been walking with a knife, then blacked out and regained awareness covered in blood. Suarez was stabbed at least twice in the neck and died days later.
Mohassib had briefly served as an NYPD rookie in 2022 before leaving for military duty, where he was removed over mental health issues; police were also called to his home in 2024 after relatives said he threatened them.
The New York City Department of Education said it suspended Mohassib, a paraprofessional at P.S. 200, and will seek to terminate him, raising questions about whether his psychiatric history was reviewed before he was hired.