Basketball Coach Charged After He Allegedly Punched Florida Man Who Thought He Was an Uber Driver
An assistant basketball coach from Wake Forest University was arrested and charged in connection with the death of a Florida tourist who he allegedly punched in the face, sending him smashing into the pavement.
Jamill Jones, 35, was arrested on Thursday and charged with third-degree assault in the death of Sandor Szabo, 35, PEOPLE confirms.
Szabo, originally from Boca Raton, Florida, was in New York City for his stepsister’s wedding when he tried to hail an Uber back to his hotel on Sunday, according to WPEC.
He allegedly knocked on the SUV Jones was driving. The action spurred a “confrontation” between the two in which Jones allegedly punched Szabo in the face once, causing the tourist to fall on the pavement and hit his head, the New York Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE in a release on Thursday.
Jones fled the scene, and Szabo was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, PEOPLE confirmed.
RELATED: Tourist in N.Y.C. for a Wedding Is Punched and Dies While Looking for His Uber
According to ESPN, Jones turned himself in to police on Thursday.
The Wake Forest University athletics department released a brief statement on Twitter Thursday.
“We have just been made aware of this matter and we are gathering information,” the statement read.
“We will make a further statement after we learn more about the matter.”
Statement from Wake Forest Athletics on Jamill Jones:
"We have just been made aware of this matter and we are gathering information.
"We will make a further statement after we learn more about the matter."— Wake Forest Sports (@DemonDeacons) August 9, 2018
According to his biography on the Wake Forest University website, Jones is in his second season as an assistant coach. He previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University.
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While Szabo’s relatives have reportedly been too distraught to comment, his employer, What If Media, mourned his passing on Facebook on Wednesday.
“Sandor was super outgoing, friendly, and an incredibly smart businessman. He was always upbeat, positive, kind and caring,” the company wrote.
“He was fun to be with, interesting, and always interested. He was a really good person.”
The post continued: “We will remember his bright smile, his positive attitude, his passion for our company (and each of us), his love of fish, fishing, and cooking, and his love of family. His beautiful spirit and his love of life will remain with us. We are going to miss him dearly.”
