Ex-NYPD officer arrested in fatal Brooklyn jogger stabbing

“He was acting a little bit weird. A bit off,” a 12-year-old boy told reporters, describing the behavior of the man now accused of killing a young woman during her evening run.

Sayed Mohassib, 27, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder in the October 30 slaying of Katie Suarez, 28, NY Post reported. The arrest follows a week of intensive investigation into the brutal attack that occurred along a waterfront footpath in Brooklyn. According to police sources, Mohassib allegedly told investigators during his interrogation that he experienced a blackout and woke up covered in blood while holding the murder weapon.

The case has sent shockwaves through the Brooklyn community, not only because of the randomness of the attack but because of the suspect’s history and his proximity to the victim’s life. While detectives have not yet established a definitive motive, they are treating the stabbing as a random act of violence. Investigators have collected forensic evidence, including clippings from Suarez’s fingernails, to determine if she fought her attacker, and are currently awaiting DNA results from her phone, The Independent reported.

A pattern of mental health crises and employment instability

The details surrounding Mohassib’s background reveal a turbulent history of psychological struggles and failed attempts to maintain professional roles. He previously served as a paraprofessional for the New York City Department of Education before joining the NYPD in 2022. However, his tenure on the police force lasted only six weeks. He subsequently enlisted in the Marines but was discharged after being deemed psychologically unfit for service, NY Post reported.

Ex-NYPD officer arrested in fatal Brooklyn jogger stabbing — Photo: the-independent.com

Mohassib’s history of instability was well-documented by his own family. In September 2024, his mother and sister contacted police after he allegedly threatened to “chop them up.” Officers located him at Caesar’s Bay—roughly half a mile from where Suarez was eventually killed—and he was transported to Coney Island Hospital for mental health treatment, according to sources cited by both NY Post and NBC News New York.

Even after his discharge from the military, Mohassib attempted to rejoin the NYPD just three months later. That request was denied after he appeared at an NYPD post in a disheveled and erratic state, leading to his transport to Bellevue Hospital, NY Post reported. Following these incidents, he returned to his role as an educator at P.S. 200 in Bensonhurst, located just three blocks from the waterfront promenade where the attack occurred.

The final moments of Katie Suarez

Katie Suarez, a 28-year-old bank teller, was following her routine after finishing a shift at TD Bank. Around 8:15 p.m. on October 30, she was ambushed and stabbed in the neck while jogging along the Shore Parkway Greenway near her home. She had spoken to her father via phone at approximately 7:56 p.m., telling him she was about half a mile away and would meet him shortly, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, as reported by The Independent.

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When Suarez failed to arrive at the meeting point, her father searched the path and found her unconscious beneath a tree at approximately 8:16 p.m. Although she was rushed to the hospital, she was later declared brain dead. In a final act of grace, her family kept her on life support so her organs could be donated. Five recipients received her heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and other organs, NY Post reported.

“She didn’t deserve this,” Yasira Suarez told The Post. “Katie was very happy, she was a person that wouldn’t mess with anyone.”

Evidence recovery and the investigation’s progress

Detectives utilized surveillance footage to track Mohassib, observing him leaving the Shore Parkway Greenway area around the time of the attack. NBC News New York reported that video also led investigators to a local barbershop, where they obtained his identification, and showed him dumping bags of garbage on the night of the murder. The NYPD has been searching a sanitation barge in an attempt to recover the murder weapon, which investigators believe Mohassib discarded in the trash before it was transported to a landfill.

The investigation is currently focused on several key areas to build the case against the 27-year-old:

A Muslim man and ex NYPD officer Sayed Mohassib arrested for the killing of Katie Suarez in Brooklyn

Forensic DNA: Swabbing for touch DNA on Suarez’s phone and other surfaces.
Motive Analysis: Determining why the attack occurred, given that Suarez’s jewelry and phone were left untouched, suggesting it was not a robbery, NY Post reported.
Surveillance Review: Searching for dashcam footage from rideshare vehicles that may have been near the Belt Parkway on the night of the stabbing.

While the attack appears random, it has drawn comparisons to the 2016 killing of Karina Vetrano in Howard Beach, a case that also involved a woman attacked while running in a park. The similarity in the nature of these crimes has fueled calls from local elected officials for increased security, including better lighting and more frequent police patrols in waterfront recreational areas.

As the legal process begins, the NYC Department of Education has issued a statement regarding Mohassib’s employment at P.S. 200. “We have suspended this individual and will move to terminate employment pending the outcome of the conviction. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation however is needed,” the department stated, according to NBC News New York.

A neighbor, who observed Mohassib’s personality shift significantly after his time in the NYPD and his subsequent trip to Egypt, noted that the man had become increasingly nervous and “different” over the last three years.