June 4, 2021
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania—On Monday, May 24, an employee of 28-year-old Wei Lin’s restaurant got into a minor accident. The employee’s English was limited and called Lin for assistance in the area of L and Luzerne streets in the Juniata section of Philadelphia, according to ABC6.
“During the delivery process, he got into a car accident,” said Lin’s wife, Mrs. Zhang, who spoke to ABC6 through a Mandarin translator.
According to Lin’s family members, he called the police and exchanged information with the woman who was driving the other car. No one expected what would happen next.
“The suspect came out of nowhere,” Zhang explained a man arrived on the scene when police were not present.
“It was a first and a really heavy hit at my husband’s head,” Zhang told ABC6. Apparently, the male relative of the female driver who was involved in a minor traffic accident with Lin’s delivery driver punched Lin in the head.
“My husband collapsed,” Zhang explained.
Executive Director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, John Chin, substantiates Zhang’s claim.
“At the beginning, police just treated it as a fender bender little,” said Chin. “Our agency notified police and said, ‘Hey this fender bender became a very violent incident against a male victim.'”
Lin was hospitalized for three days before finally succumbing to his injuries on Thursday, May 27. According to his wife, Lin was unconscious the entire time suffering from severe brain damage.
Authorities soon arrested Jose Figueroa of Hunting Park. He’s been charged with manslaughter.
Philadelphia police made very clear the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime. The suspect and victim did not know each other and no insults or racial slurs were exchanged before the attack.
Zhang now has to focus on trying to raise her two children without their loving father who she says always made time for them no matter the 12-hour days he worked at the family’s restaurant, reports ABC6.
“One of my children is only 3 months old and the other 19 months,” said Zhang, “so it has been a nightmare for us. We don’t know what to do next.”
To access Wei Lin’s GoFundMe page, please click HERE
Feature Images via ABC6 & GoFundMe