What to Know
- A Lyft passenger was caught on camera brutally attacking his driver in Queens on Thursday
- The driver says he wasn't seriously injured in the attack but is considering finding a new job
- Police are now looking for the passenger
Police are looking for a Lyft passenger who was caught on camera savagely attacking his driver in the middle of a ride in Queens.
Video of Thursday's brutal attack was provided to News 4 by driver Eduardo Madiedo, who was not seriously injured in the attack.
The footage shows the pickup beginning normally enough; a woman and man both get in the car and ask to be driven to Mount Sinai Hospital in Astoria.
The male passenger appears to be in some sort of obvious distress and is seen laying down on the back seat and moaning. He then takes off his sweatshirt and irately asks the driver to speed up and weave through traffic.
Madiedo pushes back, telling the passenger "excuse me man, if you're going to be disrespectful, I'll just pull over right now."
It's that remark that sets the passenger off. He whales on Madiedo from the back seat, and at one point tries to get in the front seat of the car, which is still in motion.
The two passengers then get out of the car, and the man hits Madiedo again before running off.
"I just felt like, less than human almost," he told News 4.
Police are now looking to question the man, and Lyft says the passenger has been permanently banned from the service.
Madiedo, meanwhile, says he is not sure if he'll ever drive a Lyft again.
"I feel like I have to look for a new job or a new form of income," he said.
