A Brooklyn building superintendent, Burim Havolli, died after sustaining head trauma during a confrontation with an individual suspected of stealing packages from his building. According to ABC7 New York, the 41-year-old was involved in an altercation on Ocean Avenue yesterday morning with a 30-year-old person of interest, whom the police are now questioning.
As detailed by the cousin of the deceased, who expressing the family's sorrow told ABC7 New York, "There's no words. He left behind three children, this, there no words that can explain," in the wake of Burim's untimely death, Havolli bravely tried to detain the suspect, who allegedly struck him in the head with a cellphone, until the police arrived to manage the situation but unfortunately, he collapsed later inside the building and was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Frequent thefts of packages from the lobby had been reported previously, and police were considering linking this incident to an ongoing string of thefts at the building, as they question the person of interest and seek up to two additional suspects related to the thefts stated in the warning flyers distributed to residents. "He was just struggling because the guy kept trying to get on his scooter to leave and boom was just telling him, no, you have to wait until the police get here," said Sarah Abraham, a witness, in a statement obtained by ABC7 New York.
Meanwhile, local residents and colleagues remembered Havolli as a dedicated superintendent, with one of the tenants, Jeff Fisher, recounting to CBS News New York, "He was extremely professional. Everything that needed to be done, he did it," and reflecting on the tragedy of the situation as package theft is known to be an issue in their building, NYPD has not made any arrests connected to Havolli's death yet, nor has it been officially ruled as a homicide pending further investigation by the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.
The NYPD is actively seeking information from the public regarding this case and encourages anyone with information to reach out to the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline or submit a tip through their website or X account, as all calls are kept confidential, according to the information shared by CBS News New York.
