Recently, in a subway in Brooklyn, a 14-year-old Chinese-American teenager and his friends witnessed a male suspect setting fire to a female passenger, leading to her death. The teenager quickly dialed 911, assisting the police in swiftly capturing the criminal. However, there are reports indicating that the New York City Police Department may not be able to fulfill the promised $10,000 reward to several informants due to “technical reasons.”
This news on the 17th sparked public outrage, with people labeling it as “absurd.” Various Brooklyn council members and security volunteer organizations have voiced their support for the informants, believing that these brave children deserve the $10,000 reward. In the afternoon of the 17th, the NYPD finally stated, “We have decided to pay the reward.”
According to previous reports from this newspaper, on January 1st, Chinese-American Councilwoman Susan Zhuang specially honored the teenage hero Xie Jianzhong, who was the informant who helped apprehend the illegal Guatemalan immigrant Sebastian Zapeta Calil.
On the afternoon of December 22nd, while Xie Jianzhong and two teammates from the basketball team were heading to Queens on the F train to participate in a basketball game, they keenly noticed a homeless person who appeared to be a wanted criminal.
The other two classmates nominated Xie Jianzhong to report the incident. At that moment, the children’s only intention was to catch the criminal. Xie Jianzhong dialed 911 directly, instead of using the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline (800-577-8477).
People believe that it would be absurd not to reward the informants due to this minor “technical reason.”
Councilwoman Susan Zhuang stated that the most crucial thing is that the children helped the police apprehend the criminal, and such heroic actions should be rewarded.
“These teenagers deserve recognition! Refusing to reward them is a mistake,” Zhuang said in a statement. “They are just kids who were taught to dial 911, not the informants hotline. They called the emergency hotline out of goodwill, and the police promptly caught the suspect. That’s what matters most, and we should encourage such behavior.”
Zhuang believes that the NYPD should resolve this issue immediately, and she is willing to “make every effort to help these children receive the reward they deserve.”
Brooklyn State Assemblyman William Colton also issued a statement in support of the high school students.
“These three young individuals did the right thing. Their actions were courageous, admirable, and deserving of praise,” Colton said. “With New York City’s annual budget reaching $115 billion, they can’t find the reward these children deserve? More importantly, it’s not about the money but about what message we send to the community to encourage more public participation in maintaining community safety.”
Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the New York City security volunteer organization Guardian Angels, stated that it would be “absurd” if the police do not fulfill the reward. He suggested that not only should the teenagers receive the reward, but they should also be invited to City Hall to receive certificates.
“New York City should provide these young people and their families with the reward,” Sliwa told this newspaper. “And similar to Councilwoman Susan Zhuang’s suggestion, a ceremony should be held where the Mayor presents them with checks to encourage others to do the same.”
Sliwa mentioned that the police department often engages in this kind of behavior, calling it “bait and switch.”
“They say you dialed 911 and not the Crime Stoppers hotline,” Sliwa explained. “Remember the case of reporting the murder of health insurance CEO Luigi Mangione? It was reported by Pennsylvania McDonald’s employees, and the informants were supposed to receive a $60,000 reward, which they haven’t received yet. They were told: you have to wait.”
As Xie Jianzhong is a Chinese-American teenager, and the Chinese New Year is approaching, Sliwa suggested that the Chinese community should continue to invite this child and his family to various New Year celebration events because “this Chinese young man is very brave and has set an excellent example for everyone,” urging people to give him “red envelopes” and donate some money for his future education.
At 3:00 p.m. on the 17th, the NYPD informed this newspaper that they are willing to distribute the reward.
“Considering the heinous nature of the crime and the courage displayed by these young people when they saw information on the ‘See something, say something’ hotline and reported it, we are delighted to provide them with this reward,” the NYPD stated in a release. “We also appreciate the support of the New York City Police Foundation for this program and their protection of our community safety. This is an important reminder to ‘speak out when you see something.'”
At 7:30 a.m. on December 22nd, the Guatemalan illegal immigrant Calil ignited an unspecified liquid inside the F train car at Coney Island subway station, setting fire to a sleeping female homeless person, causing public panic. Thanks to the aforementioned good teenagers’ report, the police arrested the criminal on the same day.