Body of 23 Y/O Killed By Drunk Driver In Gramercy Heads Home To Turkey For Funeral
Abdulhekim Esiyok, a recent immigrant from Turkey, was killed by Mahbub Ali while crossing Third Avenue on the evening of June 4th. Ali was arrested at the scene and charged with manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. Four more people were injured, with two requiring surgery. A GoFundMe is raising money to send Esiyok home.
| 12 Jun 2023 | 04:57
Twenty-three year-old Abdulhekim Esiyok was killed on June 4th by a drunk driver in Gramercy Park. Photo: GoFundMe (
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Mahbub Ali slammed his Hyundai sedan into five people while speeding down Third Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. on June 4th, killing Abdulhekim Esiyok, a migrant from Turkey staying at a nearby shelter.
Friends are raising money to send his body home to Turkey on June 8th for a funeral–only a month after he arrived in the United States seeking a better life.
Esiyok suffered severe head and torso injuries after being “thrown in the air for a significant distance” after being struck by the allegedly drunk driver. Ali had been drinking for at least seven-and-a-half hours, prosecutors said.
Two other victims required surgery after breaking their legs. The passenger of the sedan Ali was driving had to be physically extracted from the twisted wreckage of the vehicle. The car had also slammed into a parked NYPD vehicle, knocked over garbage cans, bent a light pole, shattered a bicycle, and strewn debris all over the sidewalk. Ali, aged 26 and a resident of Queens, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, and assault. His cash bond was set at $300,000. He had reportedly blown .158 on a breathalyzer at the scene of the crime after admitting to drinking and driving, which is nearly two times the legal limit.
Ali had begun drinking at a noon brunch, before going to another location to drink for a few more hours, according to Assistant District Attorney Taylor Mauer. Ali was “captured on video surveillance speeding and striking multiple objects and individuals on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 21st Street,” according to the charging document from the DA’s office.
A spokesperson representing the bereaved told local reporters that Esiyok had recently taken a job as a delivery worker to support his family.
According to a GoFundMe established by his friend Mehmet Sahin to raise money for his funeral, Abdulhekim Esiyok was “a beloved member of our community and a humble friend.” The donation page also noted that Esiyok’s family, adherents of Islam, expressed their hope that people would “come together in prayers and support to bid farewell to Abdulhekim and assist his family.”
Sahin also wrote that “with the help of your contributions, we will be sending Abdulhekim to his family this Thursday [June 8].” He added: “May Allah be pleased with you all. The remaining donations will be delivered to Abdulhekim’s family and used for expenses and funeral arrangements. May Allah fill each of you who engage in acts of charity with His blessings and bestow upon you endless goodness.” The GoFundMe had raised more than $25,000 as of presstime.