Glenn Hirsch, the man who allegedly shot and killed Zhiwen Yan, a Chinese food deliveryman, has been released on bail

Jul 3

Glenn Hirsch was arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a Chinese food deliveryman. Photo: Matthew McDermott.

51-year-old Glenn Hirsch, who was arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Zhiwen Yan, a Chinese food deliveryman, has been released after posting $500,000 bail. The bail was set by Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder. Now, Hirsch will be held on home confinement with an electronic bracelet as he awaits trial. Hirsch faces murder, stalking and weapons possession charges.

Allegedly, Hirsch targeted and killed 45-year-old Zhiwen Yan on April 30 around 9:30p EST as he made a delivery for Great Wall Chinese, the Queens restaurant for which he worked. Kai Yang, the owner of the restaurant, said Hirsch harassed employees for months after a dispute in November about the number of duck sauce packets he received. Hirsch was upset that he did not receive enough duck sauce and became irate after the restaurant refused to refund his order.

On one occasion, Hirsch allegedly slashed Yang’s car tires. On another occasion, according to the DA, Hirsch threatened employees with a gun saying, "I have a gun" and added "be careful, this is the last time I’m going to tell you." Yang recalled another incident where restaurant employees, including Yan, wrestled Hirsch to the ground after he flashed a gun.

"A petty dispute over a take-out order became an obsessive point of contention for the defendant who began to stalk and harass employees at the restaurant for months," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. "The tragic end result was the murder of a hard-working employee, who left behind a devastated family and a grieving community."

Yang said the restaurant reported incidents to the police several times but nothing ever appeared to be done about the complaints. “We gave the picture and everything to the police department,” Yang said. “The whole month, everybody (was) scared.”

Prior to Hirsch’s release on bail, Rep. Grace Meng and other lawmakers issued a statement saying in part, “Reports and rumors about Glenn Hirsch being released on bail are deeply troubling. We thank District Attorney Katz for requesting that Mr. Hirsch remain in custody. Granting bail would be the wrong decision and we hope that it does not happen. Someone who is a clear and present danger should not be released back into the community that still grieves Zhiwen Yan’s death.”

Yan is survived by his wife and three kids.