Wake Forest basketball coach, Jamill Jones, charged with assault for fatal punch of Florida tourist, 35, who died a mistook him for his Uber driver’
Wake Forest assistant basketball coach is charged with assault on Florida tourist in New York city, which proved fatal
Sandor Szabo, 35, of Florida, was returning to his hotel after his stepsister’s wedding when the incident occurred early Sunday morning
Szabo reportedly knocked on the window of an SUV, thinking it was an Uber
The driver of the white SUV punched Szabo, who hit his head on the sidewalk
After allegedly punching Szabo in the face, Jones is accused of fleeing the scene in a white SUV
Jones and his attorney walked into the 114th Precinct in Astoria, Queens where the coach turned himself in. He has been charged with assault, though investigators say the charge could be upgraded depending on the results of an autopsy.
The assault occurred while Szabo was on his way back to his hotel after his stepsister’s wedding celebration on Saturday.
Authorities said the unknown man punched Sandor in the face after a confrontation and then drove off in a white SUV.
Sandor’s brother, Dominic Szabo, 33, later said the victim’s attempts to avoid the punch by backing away actually added to the force involved when he hit his head on the sidewalk. The impact with the pavement resulted in Sandor’s brain injury, Dominic said.
He also revealed that prior to the incident, Sandor’s phone battery had died.
Dominic speculated that his brother had likely been attempting to hail a ride back to his hotel and ‘probably just tapped on the wrong guy’s car’ that night’.
Dominic described Sandor as being ‘the nicest guy you’d ever meet,’ who was also ready to help out a stranger or anybody else.
Prior to attending his stepsister’s wedding, Dominic, who works in digital advertising, had been in town for a trade show in New York City.
Wake Forest’s Division I men’s basketball team plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the NCAA’s premier divisions which features national powerhouse ball programs like Duke, North Carolina, and Clemson.
Before being hired as an assistant at Wake Forest, Jones worked for the University of Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Florida Gulf Coast.
Jones, a Philadelphia native, completed his undergraduate studies at Arkansas Tech in 2008. He currently lives in Kernersville, North Carolina, just a few miles east of Winston-Salem.

Wake Forest assistant coach Jamill Jones has been arrested and charged with assault in the death of Sandor Szabo who was visting New York from Florida, last Sunday
Alleged suspect Jamill Jones is seen right leaving the 114th Precinct in Queens, NY after turning himself in on Thursday
Florida resident Sandor Szabo struck his head on the sidewalk after being punched in the face by a man he likely mistook for an Uber driver after attending his stepsister’s wedding n NY city on Sunday
Police in New York released this photo of the suspect who allegedly punched Szabo in the face before driving off in a white SUV, later traced back to Jones
After striking Sandor, the man was seen fleeing the scene in this white SUV
Wake Forest basketball coaching crew: Jones is seen [left], alongside assistant coaches Randolph Childress [second left], Steve Woodberry [second right] and Justin Bauman [right]. Head coach Danny Manning [center] when Wake Forest Univ. hosted Duke Univ, Jan 2017
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