May 24, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A Queens man has been charged with murder for a fatal stabbing that took place during a home invasion in Flushing early Sunday morning.
Yang Zhang, 35, was arraigned at Queens Criminal Court Monday charged with murder and other crimes for fatally stabbing 41-year-old Yat Ming Wong inside the victim’s third-floor apartment, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Zhang, of 147th Street in Flushing, stabbed Wong multiple times in the legs, neck, head and arms using a sharp object after breaking into the 132-18 57th Rd. apartment via a balcony at around 2 a.m., police and prosecutors said.
Wong, the victim, had been asleep with his wife inside their bedroom when Zhang burst into the apartment and attacked him. Meanwhile, his wife fled the apartment to safety, police said.
When police arrived, they discovered Wong in bed with multiple stab wounds to his body. EMS declared him dead at the scene.
Cops found Zhang in the backyard and arrested him. He tried to resist arrest and had to be tasered, police said.
The NYPD said that Zhang was going from balcony to balcony trying to break into apartments prior to the killing. He told cops he had entered Wong’s apartment looking for drugs.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the attack on Wong appeared to be unprovoked.
“This brutal act of violence is compounded by the seemingly random nature of the attack,” Katz said. “Thankfully, the victim’s wife escaped but must now cope with the tragedy of losing her loved one.”
Zhang faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.