Asian man beaten in April in NYC dies from his injuries

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- An Asian man who was repeatedly kicked in the head during an attack in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City in April has died from his injuries.

Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old immigrant from China, was collecting cans and bottles to recycle for extra cash on April 23, 2021 after he was laid off from his restaurant job during the pandemic.

Surveillance footage shows the moment a homeless man attacked him and stomped on his head at least six times while he lied motionless on the ground, leaving him in a coma at Harlem Hospital.

Ma had died from his injuries on Dec. 31, and his death has since been ruled a homicide, the NYPD said in a press release Saturday.

Jarrod Powell, 49, was arrested after the attack and charged with attempted homicide and two counts of hate crime assault. It was not immediately clear if the district attorney's office would upgrade Powell's charges now that Ma has died.

Powell is being held at the Vernon C. Bain Center and is expected to next appear in court on Feb. 10.

Baozhen Chen, Ma's wife, told the New York Daily News last year that she felt very unsafe after her husband's attack.

"My husband will call me daily to make sure I know he got home safely. But that night he didn't call me, so I was worried," Chen said at the time.

She said Ma was "a kind person" and "not the type to cause trouble." Along with Chen, Ma leaves behind two adult children.