Who is Zhi Alan Cheng? New York Presbyterian sued after physician accused of assaulting a teen patient

A recently filed civil lawsuit alleged Zhi Alan Cheng, a gastroenterologist who previously practised at New York Presbyterian Flushing location, drugged and s*xually assaulted a then 19-year-old patient in June 2021. The lawsuit filed against New York Presbyterian on June 5 said the hospital failed to follow due process against Cheng despite the victim reporting the crime.

Trigger Warning: This article concerns s*xual assault, reader discretion is advised

Per the lawsuit, Dr Zhi Alan Cheng was employed by NewYork-Presbyterian between July 2020 and December 2022. Cheng was fired in December 2022 after he was arrested on assault charges. Cheng was reportedly taken into custody after a woman with whom the suspect had an intimate relationship found videos of him sedating and s*xually assaulting her on multiple occasions.

A further search revealed additional recordings of Cheng violating people, including the 19-year-old plaintiff, named in the recent lawsuit. Shortly after Cheng was arrested in December 2022, NBC News reported that the Queens district attorney's office secured a first-degree r*pe indictment against the suspect. The indictment alleged that Cheng used a K-N95 mask filled with cotton balls soaked in that unknown liquid to render a female victim unconscious before s*xually assaulting them.

The recent lawsuit against New York Presbyterian detailed similar circumstances surrounding the assault of the 19-year-old plaintiff. The lawsuit stated that in June 2021, a 19-year-old woman had been admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain caused by gallstones when Dr Cheng "performed an invasive and unnecessary rectal examination" before drugging and s*xually assaulting her.

The plaintiff, who woke up with severe abdominal cramps after the assault, allegedly could not recall what transpired after Chef injected her with an unknown substance. Shortly After, the victim and her mother, who suspected that her teenage daughter was assaulted, took their concerns to the hospital staff, who launched an unofficial inquiry.

Per NBC News, records showed that hospital staff checked surveillance video, and key card access near the patient’s exam room before assigning a team of social workers who specialize in s*xual abuse concerns to examine the young woman.

However, the hospital reportedly let the investigation fizzle out despite the 19-year-old picking Zhi Alan Cheng out of a lineup when asked about the physician who had entered her room. The lawsuit also alleged that the hospital failed to collect forensic evidence following the plaintiff’s complaint.

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Zhi Alan Cheng graduated with honours from Albany Medical College in 2016

Per his Linkedin, Dr Zhi Alan Cheng, who described himself as an Internal Medicine Specialist in Flushing, New York, graduated with honours from Albany Medical College Of Union University in 2016. In 2017, Cheng was listed as a Resident Physician at California Pacific Medical Center before joining NewYork-Presbyterian where he worked from July 2020 until he was fired in December 2022.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, NewYork-Presbyterian in a statement to Becker’s Medicine, said:

"The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patients' trust. We are appalled and deeply saddened by what these victims and their families have endured.”

According to records cited by NBC, Zhi Alan Cheng was suspended from practising medicine on April 7, 2023, nearly four months he was arrested and charged with r*pe. Cheng is currently awaiting trial on Rikers Island.