Mamdani Orders Review of School Aide Hiring After Jogger’s Death

Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a review on Monday of New York City public schools’ hiring of Sayed Mohassib, a school aide charged over the weekend with killing Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez.

By Career Ahead AI · United States — AI-assisted, fact-verified against cited sources. Readers should verify key facts.

The school aide was fired after the arrest

The city’s Department of Education fired Mohassib from his school aide job on Monday. Speaking at a news conference that day, Mamdani said, “Nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students.” The review concerns the department’s hiring of Mohassib; the mayor’s statement focused on student safety.^¹²³

Mohassib worked as a paraprofessional at P.S. 200 The Benson School in Brooklyn. The elementary school is about four blocks from his home and a mile from where Suarez was stabbed. In a Sunday afternoon letter, school leaders said “every precaution has been and will be taken to ensure the safety of our students.” Guadalupe Ortega, a parent, said she considered keeping her second and third graders home on Monday and would have preferred the school close for a week.^¹²³

His employment history spans schools, police and the Marines

Mohassib started working in the city’s schools as a full-time school aide in April 2019, according to city payroll records. He left the Department of Education and entered the Police Academy in April 2022. He began working as a police officer on Oct. 18, 2022. Police officials said he received military leave on Nov. 28 and joined the Marines the next day.^¹²³

Mohassib worked as a paraprofessional at P.S.

The Marines discharged Mohassib on Dec. 15, 2022. Captain Jacob M. Sugg, a military spokesman, said the reason was that “the character of his service with incongruent with the Marine Corps’ expectations and standards.” Mohassib tried to rejoin the Police Department in January 2023, but supervisors were concerned about his behavior and disheveled appearance. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, and the NYPD refused to take him back, citing erratic behavior.^¹²³

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The Department of Education rehired Mohassib as a substitute paraprofessional in fiscal year 2024, according to payroll records. He continued working in that role until he was suspended on Saturday after his arrest in Suarez’s fatal stabbing. His return to the school system followed the Police Department’s refusal to take him back.^¹²³

Police had taken Mohassib to a hospital for evaluation

On Sept. 27, 2024, Mohassib’s mother and sister called 911 to report that he had threatened to “chop them up,” according to two law enforcement officials. Officers found him later that day and took him to a hospital in Coney Island for evaluation. The account of that call and hospital visit predates his later return to work as a substitute paraprofessional.^¹²³

Mohassib was arrested on Saturday and charged in connection with Suarez’s death. The charges include murder, tampering with physical evidence and weapon possession for allegedly stabbing Suarez, 28, in the neck as she jogged along the Brooklyn waterfront after work on Oct. A criminal complaint said Mohassib told police he brought a knife to the park because “people were going to come and kill his family.”^¹²³

The charges include murder, tampering with physical evidence and weapon possession for allegedly stabbing Suarez, 28, in the neck as she jogged along the Brooklyn waterfront after work on Oct.

Suarez was found stabbed on the Shore Parkway Greenway by her father, who had been trying to meet her. She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, put on a ventilator and died a few days later. Police do not believe Mohassib and Suarez knew each other. Suarez was an organ donor who saved four lives after her death.^¹²³

The department has not answered questions about the hiring

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Nicole Brownstein, a Department of Education spokeswoman, declined to answer questions about Mohassib’s hiring. Aziza Abdullaeva, a parent who applied to become a paraprofessional last year, said she had to be interviewed and undergo a background check; officials could also call her neighbors as part of the vetting process. She was not hired. City Councilman Frank Morano said, “If someone isn’t considered fit to be a police officer, I think it’s reasonable to ask how they were cleared to work with children.”^¹²³

Principal Danielle Nola wrote that Mohassib “will not be returning to P.S. 200 or any other New York City Public Schools location.” P.S. 200 parent Victoria Bulux, 36, said she felt nervous and called for additional safeguards. Joseph Hasbani, a parent of twin third-grade students, said one daughter had crossed paths with Mohassib at school and recognized him in news coverage. Mohassib is due back in court on Tuesday.^¹²³

Check Vetting Gaps Before You Apply

If you are applying for a school aide or paraprofessional role, ask directly how background checks handle prior mental health evaluations and failed applications elsewhere. The ledger shows a candidate was rehired by the Department of Education after the NYPD refused him over erratic behavior and after a 911 call about threats. Your own application may face similar gaps, so request the exact screening steps and any cross-agency checks before accepting an offer.^¹²³

For hiring managers, this case shows that passing one agency's vetting does not mean another agency's standards were met. The same person was discharged from the Marines for character issues and denied by the police, yet later worked with children. When you evaluate candidates, ask for employment history across all public roles and verify whether any prior rejection or hospital evaluation occurred. That reduces the risk of repeating this pattern in your own workplace.^¹²³

Check Vetting Gaps Before You Apply If you are applying for a school aide or paraprofessional role, ask directly how background checks handle prior mental health evaluations and failed applications elsewhere.