Detectives are investigating an incident at a Harlem shelter for autistic individuals on Friday afternoon in which a man who attacked a staff member later died after being restrained by other workers.

Officers from the 25th Precinct were called to the Quality Services for the Autism Community Shelter located at 3 East 129th St. just before 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 23 after receiving a 911 call regarding an assault in progress.

When they arrived, the cops discovered a 33-year-old man, being restrained by shelter staff on the floor, apparently unconscious and unresponsive. Police sources said the officers learned that the man had, moments earlier, assaulted a 54-year-old female staff member for reasons that were not yet known. The sources could not immediately confirm whether the man was a shelter resident.

After attacking the worker, police sources noted, other shelter staff restrained the man, and he wound up losing consciousness. The responding officers performed CPR on the man and called for EMS to respond.

Paramedics arrived moments later and rushed the man to nearby Harlem Hospital in critical condition; the man, however, died a short time later. Police have not yet released his identity, pending family notification.

The man's body was transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. EMS took the 54-year-old female staff member injured in the reported assault to a local hospital for treatment; she is listed in stable condition. The case has been presented to the NYPD Force Investigation Division for further examination; the division typically investigates police-involved shootings and other incidents involving the use of lethal force by officers.

Robert Pozarycki has been the editor-in-chief at amNY since 2019. Previously, he served as editor-in-chief at the Queens Courier and QNS.com, as well as reporter and managing editor at the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times in Ridgewood, NY. Have a tip or a question? Email robb@amny.com.

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