Photo courtesy of the NYPD
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers (NYSFTD) has offered a cash reward for information on the identity of a gunman who allegedly shot at a cab driver’s vehicle several times following a dispute. As reported, the New York City Police Department had been asking for the public’s help identifying the person seen in the attached photo who they say is sought in connection with the shooting that they said occurred in the Olinville section of The Bronx in early May. NYSFTD have previously highlighted the dangers posed to cab drivers in The Bronx amid a slew of recent carjackings.
In reference to the Olinville incident, police said that on Friday, May 3, at around 3.56 a.m., in the vicinity of Bronx Boulevard and Carpenter Avenue, a 26-year-old male victim was working as a taxi driver driving an unidentified male [as a passenger] when a dispute occurred. They said the suspect jumped out of the moving vehicle and discharged a firearm at the vehicle, striking the passenger door. “The individual fled on foot in an unknown direction,” a police spokesperson said. “The victim was not injured as a result of this incident.”
Police said the suspect is described as male, is estimated to be between 19 and 25 years of age, has a light complexion and a slim build. They said he was last seen wearing a black vest and black jeans.
A CAB DRIVER’s vehicle is shot at following a dispute with a passenger at his drop-off destination in the vicinity of Bronx Boulevard and Carpenter Avenue in the Olinville section of The Bronx on Friday, May 3, 2024, at around 3.56 a.m. Video courtesy of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers
On April 23, NYSFTD held a press conference in the South Bronx in relation to ongoing carjackings in The Bronx, which they said totaled nine over a two-week period, saying the string of armed robberies and carjackings have worried cab drivers.
Ahead of that press conference, they made reference to a previous incident whereby a cab driver, Bamory Sanogo, dialed 911 from Hamden Place in The Bronx to report he had been robbed, assaulted & carjacked. “He was out of breath and in disbelief of what had just happened minutes earlier, they said.
Quoting Sanogo, a 57-year-old livery cab driver and father of four, they wrote that he sad, “I’m just happy to be alive. They stole my money, a Black male and female held me up. She jumped in the front seat, put her hand in my pockets, stole my money while he choked me. I was taken out of my car when they stole the car and crashed it into two vehicles that were parked. I chased them but couldn’t catch them.”
A CAB DRIVER’s vehicle is shot at following a dispute with a passenger at his drop-off destination in the vicinity of Bronx Boulevard and Carpenter Avenue in the Olinville section of The Bronx on Friday, May 3, 2024, at around 3.56 a.m. Video courtesy of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers
NYSFTD also made reference to another incident which they said took place on April 3, at 11.30 a.m. when they said a Black male robbed another cab driver, Henry Soto, 44. They said the father of three was robbed of $1235 in cash, his rent money, along with his cell phone and watch. They said Soto was robbed at gunpoint and was in a state of shock.
They said both drivers worked for High Class Car Service. Quoting Soto, they wrote that he said, “I drove back to my base and called the police to file a report. I’m happy to be alive. I was beaten with the pistol and thought he was going to kill me.”
Antonio Cabrera, a member of NYSFTD, said, “We had a week from hell; nine drivers robbed and carjacked in a week, and now another one starting the week. We are upping the reward money from $5,000 to $7,500 in an effort to catch these criminals. We know it’s a combination of men and women committing these crimes and it must stop.”
For his part, Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for NYSFTD, added, “[The] NYPD is doing their very best to stop [these] crimes but they need the public’s help. We must STOP these assaults at gunpoint before someone gets killed. Knives and guns are the weapons of choice and it’s scary. We don’t know what can happen and our advice to drivers is to give it all up. Don’t fight back. Don’t chase these people because you can lose your life.”
A CAB DRIVER’s vehicle is shot at following a dispute with a passenger at his drop-off destination in the vicinity of Bronx Boulevard and Carpenter Avenue in the Olinville section of The Bronx on Friday, May 3, 2024, at around 3.56 a.m. Video courtesy of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers
In 2022, Mateo joined the widow of 52-year-old Gyimah Kutin and their four children at a press conference to call for accountability and to ask the public to help identifying the passengers who were sought for killing the taxi driver, after they attempted to rob him earlier that month. “Knowing that Kutin will not be coming home is very, very painful for the family and for all of us,” he said at the time.
In a separate case, as reported, along with a string of other incidents involving cab drivers, on March 17, 2022, at 3560 Webster Avenue in Norwood, the NYPD said a 61-year-old cab driver, later identified as Carlos Infante, was punched in the face, having tried to intervene during a dispute. No further information was provided by police regarding the incident at the time. Norwood News is following up with the NYPD and will share any updates we receive.
Norwood News had recently contacted NYSFTD for comment in relation to the latest incident in Olinville. The organization released a statement in the early hours of May 14, saying the livery driver in question, Eufelix Jiminian, was “lucky to be alive” after a “crazed rider” shot at his cab, causing it to be “riddled with five bullet holes.”
They said a press conference to announce the offering of a $3,000 reward to anyone who can provide information on the shooter is planned for later on Tuesday morning, May 14, in the South Bronx.
In reference to the Olinville incident, the NYSFTD said, “There was an argument, the rider refused to pay, jumped out of the moving vehicle and opened fire hitting the passenger side of the vehicle 5 times before escaping.”
Cabrera said, “We need to bring back NYPD checkpoints where drivers give permission to [cops] to search for the passengers and their vehicles. We need to make sure riders are unarmed when boarding a Cab. Drivers are sitting ducks and we need to protect them.”
Mateo added, “The NYSFTD is calling for reforms to the bail reform laws that allow criminals to commit these types of crimes and get away with them. Jiminian, who is 26 years old and married, could have lost his life. He was lucky the 5 bullets did not strike him. His vehicle tells the story; the 5 bullet holes are clearly there.”
Of the perpetrator, Mateo added, “This was a male, Hispanic, age 19-25, light skin, slim [build]. The only people capable of crimes like this are repeat criminal offenders. Drivers MUST STOP picking up masked riders. If you can’t see their face, DO NOT pick them up.”
The NYSFTD said that in relation to the Olinville incident, the passenger had been picked up at 2100 Colonial Avenue in the Pelham Bay section and the shooting unfolded at the drop off point at 3764 Bronx Boulevard [in Olinville].
Screenshot courtesy of Christina Fan from CBS New York via social media
Meanwhile, anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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