Hoops coach pleads not guilty for punch that killed tourist
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
NEW YORK (AP) -- A rising star in college basketball's coaching ranks who police said threw a punch that led to the death of a New York City tourist who apparently mistook him for an Uber driver pleaded not guilty to an assault charge Thursday night.
Wake Forest University assistant coach Jamill Jones attacked digital marketing guru Sandor Szabo around 1:15 a.m. last Sunday in Queens, causing him to fall and smash his head on the sidewalk, police said.
Szabo, visiting from Boca Raton, Florida, banged on the window of Jones' SUV while looking for his ride after his stepsister's wedding, police said.
A person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Szabo may have been drunkenly knocking on car windows before Jones allegedly confronted him. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to speak publicly.
The coach got out, followed Szabo to the sidewalk, clocked him and sped off, police said. Szabo never regained consciousness and was taken off life support Tuesday.
Jones, 35, of Kernersville, North Carolina, turned himself in to police Thursday, accompanied by a lawyer. He was arraigned Thursday night on a misdemeanor assault charge and released on his own recognizance after entering his plea. The coach's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 2, according to a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney.
Jones was with his family after the court session, his attorney, Alain Massena, told the AP.
"This was a tragic accident, and Mr. Jones and his family send their deepest condolences and their thoughts and prayers to the Szabo family," Massena said.
In a statement, Wake Forest said the school would comment further once it gathered more information.
Jones, a Philadelphia native, joined the Demon Deacons staff in May 2017 after coaching at Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth and Florida Gulf Coast and playing at Arkansas Tech and North Platte Community College in Nebraska.
Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning said at the time that Jones was a "well-respected bright mind" in the coaching world and brought "new blood" and "new perspectives" to Wake Forest.
Szabo, also 35, was "super outgoing, friendly, and an incredibly smart businessman," said his company, at What If Media Group, based in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
"He was always upbeat, positive, kind and caring," the company said in a Facebook post. "He was fun to be with, interesting, and always interested. He was a really good person."
Szabo, who lived in Boca Raton with his brother, always had a bright smile and shared a love of fishing, cooking and family, the company said.
`'His beautiful spirit and his love of life will remain with us," the company said. "We are going to miss him dearly."
Sad that something this foolish destroyed the life of one and will likely destroy the life of the other. I wonder what took place that caused him to get out of the vehicle, follow the guy and punch him, causing the fall, hitting his head and eventually dying? Guessign the charges will be upgraded to waht? Murder in the 2nd degree? Manslaugther?
Never know what will happen when you let your temper rule the day.
They should have been murder charges to begin with. Let's see, he slugs somebody without provocation and when the victim falls to the ground Jones just takes off. This "coach" is a thug deep down and should be treated as such.
I read about this yesterday. It is a very sad situation. I wonder if the charges will be upgraded??
You are correct. One should never let their temper rule.
I think they would have to, as they charged him with misdemeanor assault, but now the other guy is dead as a result of the assault.
It seems a bit strange. The coach got out of his SUV pursued the guy onto the sidewalk and punched him. (killing him)
Either the coach is a nut case or something else transpired between them.
Or one or both could have been drunk or up on something stronger. Weird things happen to the mental processes when alcohol or drugs are involved. I remember one incident when a 16 year old kid got lit up on beer and PCP. It took six officers to hold him down, even with handcuffs on. Every one of us was at least half again his size and he just kept throwing us off and stayed totally irrational. When a nurse in scrubs came over from the ambulance we had called for, he calmed down immediately and got polite and cooperative. He just went paranoid around police uniforms.
That's true TTGA, drugs and alcohol can do strange things to the mind.
One of witnesses in the article said the victim was ''drunkenly'' knocking on car windows.
Probably the other guy too Kav.
Origin of the incident I described. One of our Sheriff's Department officers walked up to the kid (maybe 5' 8" and 150 pounds) to take away a pitcher of beer he had purchased illegally. The kid responded by picking up and throwing our officer (6' 3" and 280) against a chain link fence. That PCP is nasty shit.