Mayor Mamdani commits to 'full review' of city schools hiring of suspect in murder of Brooklyn jogger

Josephine Stratman and Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Nov 9, 2026

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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday that City Hall will perform a thorough review of the Department of Education’s hiring of the public school aide accused of stabbing Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez to death — as questions mount on how Sayed Mohassib was able to work with students despite his troubled background.

“I have directed my team to conduct a full review into this matter, underlining the importance of the fact that nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students,” Mamdani said at an unrelated news conference in Lower Manhattan.

“This attack on Katie Suarez was horrific,” the mayor added, saying his heart is with the jogger’s family and friends.

Mohassib, 27, has been charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and weapon possession for fatally stabbing Suarez, 28, in the neck as she jogged along the Brooklyn waterfront after work on Oct. 30.

In October 2022, Mohassib graduated from the NYPD academy but soon resigned to join the Marines. He was then discharged from the military for psychological reasons a month later, police sources said.

On Dec. 16, 2022, he tried to reapply to the NYPD, but officials noted during his interview that he looked disheveled and was acting erratically. NYPD officials denied his application and called an ambulance, which took him to Bellevue Hospital for an evaluation, the sources said.

He then became an aide for the Department of Education, officials said. Local elected leaders are now calling for a “full investigation” into how Mohassib was hired to work with children. On Sunday night, City Councilman Frank Morano, a Staten Island Republican, said he was “pursuing legislation” to strengthen hiring at the Department of Education.

On Monday, Mamdani committed to “hold the individual responsible fully accountable.”

“Every New Yorker deserves to be safe in our city, no matter at what time, no matter what corner, no matter what time of the night,” he added.

Mamdani reiterated the Department of Education has suspended Mohassib and will move to dismiss him pending the outcome of the case against him. The school, P.S. 200 in Bath Beach, is also providing counseling and support to all students and families who request it.

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