Wake Forest Coach May Be Charged In Death Of Boca Tourist

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A North Carolina college basketball coach could face murder charges after he allegedly punched a Boca Raton tourist who later died from his injuries, police said Friday. The incident happened in Long Island City, which is popuar for its art galleries. Snador Szabo of Boca was in town for a family wedding.

Jamill Jones, a 35-year-old assistant coach at Wake Forest University, pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge after he was arrested Thursday evening for punching Szabo, authorities said. Jones was released on his own recognizance after a brief court hearing.

By Friday morning, police had deemed the fatal blow a homicide. The investigation is ongoing, and charges against Jones could be upgraded.

Jones and Szabo butted heads Sunday morning outside the hotel Szabo's brother was staying at on 29th Street near 41st Avenue after the 35-year-old Boca Raton man mistook Jones' car for his Uber and knocked on the glass, according to police and reports from WPEC-TV.

Jones allegedly got out of his car and punched Szabo in the face, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the pavement, police said.

An unconscious Szabo was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, police said. The blow fractured the left size of his face and caused bleeding to his brain, and he died Tuesday afternoon after being taken off life support.

Jones turned himself in to police on Thursday evening, wi and his attorney the scuffle a "tragic accident," the Associated Press reported.

Jones joined Wake Forest's coaching staff in 2017 after stints at University of Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University and Florida Gulf Coast. He started his career working with the Team Takeover AAU program in Washington D.C. after graduating from Arkansas Tech University, where he played college basketball.

Szabo, a marketing guru, was described as "super, outgoing, friendly, and an incredibly smart businessman," in a Facebook post by What If Media Group, where he was one of 25 employees.

The digital marketing company described Szabo "a well-known and well-respected leader" who was critical to their growth and called his death "a devastating loss" for both his family and coworkers.

"He was part of our family," the post read. "We are all deeply saddened by this loss...His beautiful spirit and his love of life will remain with us. We are going to miss him dearly."

This story was reported and written by Danielle Woodward in Patch's New York bureau.

Lead photo by Chuck Burton/Associated Press