Crazed customer busted in shooting of Chinese food delivery man Zhiwen Yan
The irate customer who allegedly gunned down a hard-working Chinese food delivery man in a cold-blooded attack in Queens — which stemmed from a dispute about duck sauce that led to a months-long reign of terror — was busted late Wednesday, cops announced Thursday.
Glenn Hirsch, 50, was picked up on a warrant at his Briarwood apartment around 8 p.m. Wednesday and charged with murder, as well as criminal possession of a loaded firearm in connection to the April 30 slaying of the 45-year-old Zhiwen Yan, authorities said.
“While this case seemed simple at the onset, because we did develop the suspect early on, you know developing enough evidence to rise to the level of probable cause took some time to do,” NYPD Lt. John Russo said at a police briefing on Thursday.
“Why did it take from April 30 until now when, at the face, it seemed we knew who he was right away?” Russo said. “Well, you know, we want to ensure we get the right person and we have a prosecutable case.”
Cops revealed that Hirsch was caught on surveillance footage circling the Queens restaurant for an hour on the night of the shooting — then seen following Yan in his car before he allegedly shot him dead.
Police said they found eight guns at his estranged wife’s home when they executed a search warrant around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, they said.
They said Hirsch and his ex had parted ways amicably — although a neighbor said Hirsch showed up often and described him as “an a–hole.”
“I’ve heard him a bunch of times yelling at her,” said the man, who asked to be identified only as Glenn. “He’s an a–hole. I’ve just seen that guy treating her like s–t. He speaks very loud. These walls are not the thickest walls in the world.
“I never saw bruises on her, but that lady took a lot of verbal abuse from the guy,” he said. “It makes me want to move.”
“We were taking steps to make sure he didn’t flee the area,” Russo said.
Hirsch had an ongoing beef with staff at Great Wall on Queens Boulevard – bombarding the restaurant with phone calls and even calling 911 on them – when he took his anger out on Yan, police said.
Police said a grand jury voted to indict Hirsch on Wednesday.
He was arraigned Thursday in Queens Supreme Court and charged with second-degree murder, weapons possession, stalking and menacing and ordered held without bail.
“As alleged, a petty dispute over a take-out order became an obsessive point of contention for the defendant, who began to stalk and harass employees at the restaurant for months,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said in a statement.
“The tragic end result was the murder of a hard-working employee who left behind a devastated family and a grieving community,” Katz said. “Gun violence is never the answer and will not be tolerated in Queens County.”
Yan, a married father of three who migrated from China about 20 years ago, was making a delivery on his scooter near 108th Street and 67th Drive in Forest Hills around 9:30 p.m. when Hirsch allegedly shot him once in the chest.
“We are all relieved that someone has been arrested,” Yan’s heartbroken widow, Eva Zhao, said in a statement released Thursday through her attorney.
“We are grateful to the NYPD and have full confidence that the Queens District Attorney will bring justice to Zhiwen, a loving and kind husband, father, son, friend and community member,” the statement said.
Hirsch was in his car when he spotted Yan and followed him to a stop light – where he got out of his ride and opened fire, authorities said.
He had just dropped off an order in the neighborhood when he was killed.
Restaurant owner Kai Yang told The Post that Hirsch had previously been in a rage over the amount of duck sauce he got with an order on Nov. 30.
Hirsch demanded his money back, but a worker refused and the accused killer called police — who told him the restaurant couldn’t take the food because of COVID restrictions at the time, prosecutors said.
Hirsch stormed out and allegedly began his reign of terror.
The duck-sauce dispute sparked a series of increasingly disturbing encounters – including one in which the angry customer slashed Yang’s tires and pointed a gun at him when confronted, the owner said.
Yang said the crazed customer was wrestled to the ground by employees — including Zhiwen Yan — during the gun incident.
“How’s your car?” Hirsch reportedly told restaurant workers, prosecutors said. “Remember me? I will kill your entire family.”
But despite repeated calls to police over time about the angry customer, the patron was never charged, Yang said.
At a candlelight vigil, the slain delivery man’s wife called for justice.
“New York City, you owe me a life … you owe me a husband … you owe an explanation to the Chinese community,” Kunying Zhao said through an interpreter.
“I want to know why since last November his boss and colleagues have been threatened multiple times and nobody could protect them. I want to know why!”
Queens prosecutors said Hirsch faces a prison sentence of up to 44-years-to-life if convicted on the indictment.
Additional reporting by Haley Brown and Amanda Woods
