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NYC schools to review hiring practices after teacher's aide accused of jogger murder
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 3:54 p.m. ET
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Getty images and the NYPD
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 3:54 p.m. ET
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The city education department will review its hiring practices after learning that the man accused of killing a Brooklyn jogger last month was previously hired as a paraprofessional, despite a documented history of mental health concerns.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced Friday that the city’s Law Department will conduct the independent review and deliver recommendations.
“The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. We can leave no stone unturned and no path unexplored when it comes to protecting that safety,” Samuels said in a statement.
Sayed Mohassib, 27, is accused of fatally stabbing Katie Suarez as she jogged on the Shore Parkway Greenway on Oct. 30. Mohassib worked as a paraprofessional at PS 200, which is only blocks from the greenway that passes under the Verrazzano Bridge. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to city records, Mohassib was first hired by the education department in 2019. He then left the school system and graduated from the NYPD’s police academy in 2022. He only worked for the NYPD for a month before being granted military leave to join the U.S. Marines. He was then discharged from the Marines due to psychiatric issues. He tried to rejoin the NYPD in 2023, but NYPD supervisors were so concerned by his behavior he was taken to Bellevue Hospital, officials said.
Nevertheless, Mohassib was rehired as a paraprofessional in 2024, payroll records show.
Parents and local officials have demanded to know why Mohassib was allowed to work closely with public school children after the NYPD, where he had also worked briefly as a police officer, raised serious concerns about his mental stability.
The majority of the city’s paraprofessionals work closely with students with disabilities who have individualized education programs, commonly known as IEPs.
New York City Council member Kayla Santosuosso had earlier this week called for a review of the education department’s personnel policies in light of the murder.
“I’m looking at what happened that led up to this person continuing to be employed by the DOE and in such an intimate way with students,” she said. “My concern is that there seem to be numerous red flags along the way that some system within the DOE should have caught.”
Santosuosso said school staff who had worked with Mohassib in the past had also reached out to her office this week to say they had raised concerns about his behavior. The education department did not respond to requests for comments about why he continued to be employed despite those concerns, or after the NYPD had rejected him.
The city has been struggling with a shortage of paraprofessionals for years. The United Federation of Teachers is suing the city over legislation to raise pay for paraprofessionals in order to recruit and retain more candidates.
According to the criminal complaint, Mohassib denied killing Suarez but told investigators that he was sitting on a bench along the path and became “covered in blood.”
Surveillance footage of Mohassib running from the scene of the murder, entering his apartment building and then walking out about 15 minutes later to throw items in the garbage, according to a complaint.
Jessica Battaglia, a former teacher at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology, who said she knew Mohassib when he was in ninth grade, said it was shocking to learn that the “sweet” kid she taught could be arrested for murder.
She said Mohassib stood out for his kindness to classmates, especially students with disabilities. “He was one of our favorite students, that’s why we’re so shocked,” she said. She remembered him winning awards that year at an end-of-year ceremony, and said the person she knew more than a decade ago would have been a “perfect” candidate for a job working with children with disabilities.
She noted the news reports that indicated someone missed multiple signs of his deteriorating mental health. “Why didn’t anyone help him before he hurt someone else?” she asked.
Tagged
brooklyn
education
new york city
public safety
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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