THE BRONX — A man died after he was beaten and knocked to the ground in Parkchester on Labor Day, police said.
Willy Montilla, 41, had just stepped off a bus near Westchester Avenue and Hugh Grant Circle about 9:45 a.m. when a man knocked him to the ground with three punches to the chest and then kicked him in the back of the head, NYPD officials said.
The suspect, who can be seen in surveillance photos released by police Tuesday, fled north on Westchester Avenue and hadn't been arrested as of Wednesday morning, according to authorities.
Montilla stood up and tried to hail a cab, but collapsed to the ground, unconscious, police said.
Montilla, of High Bridge, was pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center, police said.
"He had a very enlarged heart that contributed to his death," said NYPD's Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.
The Medical Examiner did an autopsy on Montilla's body, but his cause of death is pending a toxicology report, Boyce said.
"He was in a fight, there’s no question. but the fact that he had this arterial disease, that’s what’s going to be the issue here," Boyce said.
The suspect is between 25 and 35, standing up to 6 feet tall and was seen wearing sunglasses, a Hollister hoodie, ripped jeans, black boots and a black baseball cap, police said.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
