A man was fatally beaten during an apparent robbery in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, as confirmed by the New York Police Department to PEOPLE.
The victim, 53-year-old Michael Shelonchik, was found dead in the back of a taxi in Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood. Around 6 p.m., the NYPD received a call reporting that at 532 Neptune Avenue, a male victim was attacked by two unidentified individuals who opened the backseat door and “began punching the victim.”
According to the NYPD, “The individuals forcibly removed the victim’s chain from his neck and fled on foot.” After the attack, Shelonchik seemed to have “suffered a medical episode.” Emergency Medical Services (EMS) took him to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.