Blacked out, covered in blood: What is known about Sayed Mohassib, former NYPD officer arrested days after the fatal stabbing of Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez

The New York Police Department on Saturday, November 7, arrested Sayed Mohassib and charged him for the murder of Katie Suarez. Suarez was fatally stabbed in the neck while jogging in Brooklyn on October 30. She succumbed to her injuries about three days later.

Mohassib has been charged with murder, tampering of physical evidence, and criminal possession of a weapon, the police department said. According to CBS News, Mohassib, who is a resident of Brooklyn’s Bath Beach, was wearing flip flops and a red jacket when police arrested him on Saturday. He also did not answer any questions at the time.

What led to Mohassib’s arrest?

NBC News reported that police identified Mohassib as a suspect after surveillance footage showed him near the area where Katie was attacked in the evening. It was further reported that the footage showed Mohssib disposing of trash bags near his one home on the night Katie was stabbed.

Both NBC News and ABC 7 reported, citing police sources, that Mohassib told police officials that he did not remember attacking Katie. Instead, he told police that he had been walking on the same path as Katie with a knife, “blacked out” and found himself covered in blood. According to police, Katie was stabbed twice and suffered fatal injuries, leading to her remaining on the ventilator before her death.

Also read: Murdered NYC jogger Katie Suarez reportedly saved the lives of five people with organ donation after her brutal stabbing

Who is Sayed Mohassib, charged for murdering Katie?

The 27 year old, charged for Katie’s murder, worked in New York’s Department of Education as a substitute paraprofessional until he was arrested, several outlets including The New York Times reported, citing the city’s payroll records.

The agency confirmed to People that Mohassib has since been suspended. A spokesperson for the department of education further added that they would move towards terminating the employment “pending the outcome of the criminal case” against him.

Before this, Mohassib enrolled in the Police Academy in April 2022 and briefly worked as a New York Police Department officer after graduating in October 2022. He worked with the department for about a month, before he applied for military leave, The New York Times reported. He left the NYPD in December 2022.

He tried to join the department again in 2023, however was never rehired. According to The New York Times, supervisors who met him then were concerned about his behavior and his disheveled appearance. He was taken to a hospital.

In 2024, Mohassib’s mother and sister called 911 and reported that he had threatened to “chop them up,” the New York Times further reported, citing two law enforcement officers.

It is not clear what Mohassib’s motive might have been. His time at Brooklyn College aligned with Katie’s during the 2018-19 academic year, however it is not clear if the two knew each other then.