A “brilliant” cardiothoracic surgeon has died two weeks after being pinned to the ground in a brutal Brooklyn street attack.
dr Jaime Yun, 56, a beloved married father of two, died June 16 from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a violent brawl on June 8 just miles from the hospital where he worked.
Yun, a respected and gifted surgeon, was in his vehicle on the corner of Schenectady and East New York Avenues in Crown Heights at around 11:30 p.m. when a verbal argument broke out between him and motorcyclist Dexter Alexander, 31.
According to police, Yun hit the side mirror of Alexander’s motorcycle with a stick, and Alexander reportedly hit Yun in the face, causing him to hit the sidewalk, Daily News reported.
When paramedics arrived, they found Yun on the ground with a severe head injury. They took him to King County Hospital where he was initially expected to survive until his health deteriorated and he died days later.
dr Jaime Yun, 56, a victim of a street attack in Crown Heights Brooklyn earlier this month, succumbed to his injuries and died June 16
Heartbroken by his sudden and senseless death, family and friends described him as “brilliant” and someone who “excelled in everything he did.” He is survived by his wife Tyan, children Christopher and Lauren, and five brothers Alfonso, Julio, Enrique, Fernando and Jairo, their wives and several nieces and nephews. His parents, Yen Yu Yun Chang and Cecilia Yun Yee, predeceased him
Yun’s death was ruled a homicide by the city’s coroner and Alexander was arrested and charged with assault.
It’s unclear whether the assault charges against Alexander will be aggravated after Yun’s death, the New York Post reported.
Yun was a dedicated heart surgeon, served his community, and worked at a hospital in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Heartbroken by his sudden and senseless death, family and friends described him as “brilliant” and someone who “excelled in everything he did.”
He emigrated from Colombia with his parents and five brothers in the 1970s and was a model student and an achiever from an early age.
Yun attended Bronx Science High School after finishing top in his elementary school and graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University before attending New York University Medical School.
One of his medical professors gave him the nickname “99” because, according to his obituary, his exam scores were always in the 99th percentile.
Yun enjoyed being a mentor and loved being in the operating room teaching medical students to be a better version of themselves, his loved ones said.
He was also known for his quirky sense of humor and was usually the first to laugh at his own jokes.
Yun was a devoted family and an exceptional cardiac surgeon. One of his neighbors called him an “amazing person”
“Family was everything to Jaime, and his children were the light of his life.” “He beamed with pride after his two children attended his alma mater and was excited to talk about his days as a Lion,” says his Obituary.
For the past five years, he has been visiting campus often to hang out at his son’s sorority house and watch his daughter play lacrosse. “He was an enthusiastic spectator and his enthusiasm was contagious to many people on the sidelines.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, his family, his Manhasset neighbors and his patients described him as “selfless.”
Neighbor Vihas Patel called him an “amazing human being”.
He is survived by his wife Tyan, children Christopher and Lauren, and five brothers Alfonso, Julio, Enrique, Fernando and Jairo, their wives and several nieces and nephews. His parents, Yen Yu Yun Chang and Cecilia Yun Yee, predeceased him.
A wake was held at the Fairchild Funeral Home in Manhasset on Friday, followed by his funeral at the chapel. A private burial was held in Flushing Cemetery on Sunday.