Two years after a pre-dawn beating outside his East Elmhurst home, 58-year-old Jose Vasquez has died, and the NYPD is now treating the case as a homicide. Officials say Vasquez passed away on Nov. 27, 2025, from complications tied to the head injury he suffered in the 2023 attack.
Vasquez was assaulted at about 4 a.m. on June 8, 2023, on 32nd Avenue near 101st Street, where two muggers allegedly jumped him, beat him and left him with a serious head wound. He was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition and survived for more than two years before dying in late November 2025. These developments were reported by the New York Daily News.
Suspect and charges
Police arrested one suspect roughly six weeks after the June 2023 beating and charged him with attempted murder, robbery and assault. Public records show the man, identified by police as a Bronx resident, was later convicted of robbery and is serving a six-year sentence. Investigators are still looking for a second suspect in the attack.
Medical examiner ties death to attack
The city medical examiner concluded that Vasquez's death was directly linked to the blunt-force head trauma he suffered in the 2023 assault, and the NYPD has reclassified the case as a homicide, according to the New York Daily News. With that finding, detectives say prosecutors could consider upgrading charges if the evidence supports filing homicide counts.
Why this matters now
The medical examiner's ruling, combined with the fact that Vasquez died months after the initial assault, is the trigger for reopening the investigation. Late-stage reclassifications like this can set off a fresh round of legal maneuvering, even when suspects have already been prosecuted on lesser charges.
The NYPD is asking anyone with information about the June 2023 attack to contact detectives. As always, all charges are allegations until proven in court, and the accused is entitled to due process.
