UPDATED: NYC Man Who Lost Teeth, Suffered Brain Hemorrhage After ‘Beating’ was Actually Injured After Drinking
By Carl Samson
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with information from the conclusion of a police investigation debunking the individual’s initial reported claims of being beaten. It was determined that no attack took place and the incident largely stemmed from the involvement of alcohol.
A Chinese man in New York ended up in a coma after claiming to have been beaten up on the street last Friday.
The alleged incident was first reported by Chinese-language newspaper World Journal. The alleged victim, identified only as Zheng, claimed he had been consuming alcohol and walking to his Flushing, Queens home when he came across a “tall person.” He told the Journal that he then fainted, couldn’t remember what had happened, but was quoted as saying he was a “victim” and “was beaten.”
“I vaguely remember that I ran into a person on the road the night of the incident. He was very tall. He was still talking to me. Then I fainted. When I woke up, I was already lying on a hospital bed.
“Although I can’t remember what happened at that time, I can be sure that I was the victim. I was beaten, I lost a few upper and lower teeth, and there was a cross cut on my face. The doctor stitched the wound to stop the bleeding.”
Zheng’s phone was also “picked up” by a stranger. He says his wife had to pay $30 to get it back.
As a result of the incident, Zheng lost several teeth and suffered a brain hemorrhage. He spent two days in the intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital.
Due to the hemorrhage, Zheng remained under observation. He claimed began suffering from headaches.
The NYPD’s Asian Hate Crimes Task Force initially told NextShark that an investigation with help from detectives at the 109 Squad was initiated. According to ABC7NY reporter CeFaan Kim, after Mandarin-speaking police officers were able to speak to Zheng as well as the friend he claimed to have been talking to when he fainted, it was determined that Zheng may have fallen and hit his head, suffering further injuries and losing teeth when paramedics arrived to treat him.
Zheng appears to have changed his initial reported claims that he was beaten to saying he doesn’t remember anything at all, and it has now been determined that the incident largely stemmed from the involvement of alcohol.
New York City recorded 29 anti-Asian attacks in 2020, 24 of which may be linked to the coronavirus. On Saturday, protesters gathered in Washington Square Park to denounce the recent surge in violence.
Feature Image via Zheng’s Family
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