A livery cab driver was found unconscious with multiple stab wounds behind the wheel of his idling SUV early Wednesday, police said.
As victim Osei Kusi recovers in the hospital, his fellow taxi drivers are offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest of the stabber.
Kusi, 39, was found by a passerby unconscous and soaked in blood inside his Toyota SUV, which still had its motor running, in the middle of the street in Throgs Neck about 2:30 a.m., cops said.
Medics rushed him from the scene near Randall Ave. and White Plains Road to Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition. His condition improved to stable after undergoing emergency surgery to treat stab wounds to his back and stomach, officials said.
“This was a vicious attack on a hardworking family man,” said Steven Rivera, President of New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. “We need the public’s help to catch whoever did this.”
Kusi works for ABX Premium, a car service located on Southern Blvd. in East Tremont, according to city records.
Cops were working on downloading video from a camera found inside the cab to see if they can get an image of Kusi’s attacker, said Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, who called the stabber a “danger to every New Yorker.”
“Someone out there knows something and must come forward,” Mateo said as his organization offered the reward.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. They can also call the Federation of Taxi Drivers at (718) 559-0216.