Released: Queens Duck Sauce Slaying Suspect Posts $500K Cash Bail

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — The man accused of killing a Queens delivery worker amid a duck sauce dispute was released on bail Monday, officials confirmed, despite warnings from lawmakers that he poses a "danger" to Forest Hills.

Glenn Hirsch will remain free while awaiting trial in the fatal shooting of Great Wall delivery worker Zhiwen Yan, for which he was hit with murder charges and pleaded not guilty.

Hirsch's brother reportedly posted $500,000 cash bail, freeing the Queens man from detention on Rikers Island — a scenario that a group of Queens lawmakers said they vehemently opposed, citing the safety risk that Hirsch poses to Forest Hills.

"Someone who is a clear and present danger should not be released back into the community that still grieves Zhiwen Yan's death," reads a statement co-authored by the electeds ahead of Hirsch's release.

While Hirsch's freedom is conditional — the District Attorney's office confirmed he is on house arrest and being monitored by ankle bracelet — the lawmakers still called the then-prospect of his release "terrifying and unsettling."

The District Attorney's office said it pushed for Hirsch to be held without bail, but that ultimately the decision was up to the judge.

Judge Kenneth Holder, who set Hirsch's bail at $500,000 about a week after the Queens man was arrested, charged and indicted over Yan's murder, cautioned him Monday to adhere to the terms of his release or risk getting jailed again, according to reporting from The New York Post.

"There are enough people apparently around who just hate you that I’m sure they’re going to take a picture of you, if they see you in an area where you should not be and send it to the court," the judge said, according to The Post.

In the wake of Yan's tragic death, neighbors in Forest Hills demanded justice on his behalf and rallied behind his former place of work where prosecutors said Hirsch tormented employees for months over a duck sauce dispute.

Between December and April, Hirsch allegedly threatened violence against workers, vandalized their vehicles and harassed them outside the restaurant, according to Hirsch's indictment.

He stands accused of killing Yan as the final act of violence in this months-long campaign of threats and harassment.

Earlier this month, Kai Yang, the owner of Great Wall, set out to raise money for enhanced restaurant security, citing inaction from police leading up to the slaying and his ongoing safety concerns.

"We are all still working in fear," Yang said of himself and his workers at a vigil for Yan, where he spoke about the anti-Asian hate that he's endured amid the pandemic.

"Since the pandemic our daily living is harder... but we Asians still stick with it [and] we deserve safety."

At the vigil, Yan was remembered by co-workers, family and neighbors as a caring community member and loving father.

On Monday, shortly before news of Hirsch's release broke, multiple outlets reported that his wife, Dorothy Hirsch, had also been arrested in early June and hit with criminal weapons charges after police found eight guns and ammunition in her Queens home.