A man wanted for questioning in connection to the death of a Yale graduate student this month stole a car on the day of the killing before driving to Connecticut, according to a police report.
The report filed by police in Mansfield, Massachusetts, alleged Qinxuan Pan took a blue GMC Terrain for a test drive from a dealership on Feb. 6 and never returned it. Pan also allegedly put a commercial Connecticut license plate on the vehicle to conceal its identity, the New Haven Register reported.
According to the Mansfield police report, Pan left the dealership with the car at around 11 a.m. When a salesman called him at 5:30 p.m. to ask when he would be returning, Pan allegedly asked for more time, saying he had a family emergency. He then stopped responding to texts and phone calls.
New Haven Police previously said 29-year-old Qinxuan Pan visited car dealerships in Connecticut and Massachusetts prior to the killing. He visited the car dealerships looking to purchase a small model SUV and even asked to test drive vehicles, according to police. Police said Pan also asked to bring the vehicles to his mechanic for inspection.
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Pan has not been identified as a suspect but is considered a person of interest in the killing of 26-year-old Kevin Jiang, who was shot multiple times and found lying outside his car on a New Haven street.
Jiang, a Seattle native, had recently gotten engaged to be married. He earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at the University of Washington and was an Army veteran and Army National Guard member, according to his LinkedIn page and Yale officials. In the Army, he was a tank operator and a chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear officer, according to Yale.
Pan faces an arrest warrant for larceny.
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A telephone number for Pan’s home in Malden, Massachusetts, had been disconnected as of Friday, the newspaper reported.
Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said Pan should be considered armed and dangerous and the public should use "extreme caution" if they come into contact with him.
Police did not say whether Pan and Jiang had an existing relationship. However, MIT confirmed that Pan has been enrolled as a graduate student at the university since 2014. Jiang's fiancee graduated from MIT in 2020.
U.S. Marshals are offering a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to Pan's arrest.
Anyone with information should call the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332)
