Who was Glenn Hirsch? Queens ‘Duck Sauce Killer’ found dead upon release on bail

On April 30, 2022, a man was shot dead by Glenn Hirsch in Queens, New York. 45-year-old Zhiwen Yan, a delivery man working for the Chinese eatery Great Wall, was the unfortunate victim of the hate crime.

Hirsch, dubbed the 'Duck Sauce Killer', had stalked Yan while he was making deliveries and fatally shot him in the posh neighborhood of Forest Hills. He was arrested and charged with murder and possession of deadly weapons.

On Friday, Glenn Hirsch was found dead in his house while he was out of jail on bail. According to reports, he had passed away from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. His death came just before his court hearing the following morning.

Police have reason to believe that he committed suicide. Along with his body, police have found a long suicide note exonerating himself from the charges leveled against him. He denied his involvement in Yan's murder and said that the judgment was rushed. He stated that he knew that he would be found guilty by the court and refused to spend the rest of his life behind bars. In the letter, Glenn Hirsch wrote:

"This is my dying declaration."

He also claimed that his wife, Dorothy Hirsch, was innocent. Dorothy Hirsch was charged with eight counts of criminal possession of weapons after police officers confiscated at least eight handguns and ammunition from her Briarwood residence.

In November 2021, upon ordering food from an NYC Chinese restaurant, Glenn Hirsch complained about the meager amount of duck sauce that had come with his food. The 51-year-old customer held on to this grudge until it ended in the cold-blooded murder of Zhiwen Yan, a delivery man and father of three, in April 2022.

Hirsch was bailed out by his brother on June 8, which had caused a great deal of panic and fear in the Forest Hills community. The owner of the eatery in question told The Post:

"I am extremely disappointed that the court allowed the defendant to be bailed. Everyone who works in Great Wall restaurant is living in fear now, and also the families of Zhiwen Yan, who couldn’t believe the suspect will be back to our community again.”

While a number of restrictions were levied upon Glenn Hirsch, including maintaining distance from the restaurant and the grieving family of the deceased, owner Ken Yang feared endlessly for his safety and for the safety of his employees. He had said:

"Even though the suspect will not be as free as before, we still have concern that there might be some kind of revenge happening. Therefore I desperately hope the law enforcement departments could protect us, protect our community. He is a clear and present danger to the entire Forest Hills community."

The murder took place after months of targeted harassment. Regarding the case, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz told the New York Daily News:

"The argument became an obsessive point of contention for the defendant, who began to stalk and harass employees at the restaurant for months. The tragic end result was the murder of a hardworking employee, who left behind a devastated family."

The manager of the Great Wall restaurant had even claimed that Glenn Hirsch's attack was racially motivated. Hirsch's suicide has shocked the entire community. Ken Yang expressed his anger at the sudden turn of events. While demanding for answers, he said:

"I wanted [Glenn] to go to court and for him to say why he killed my brother. I wanted him to talk, tell everybody why he wanted to kill me and my family, too."

However, the question that remains unanswered is how did Glenn Hirsch gain access to a firearm while living under the strict restrictions imposed upon him by the court of law.